To Start a Family
by notTamiTaylor
Summary: Charlotte and Cooper want kids. But the way they get to have them is definitely not something they planned. Co written/edited/beta read by Col3725.
1. Chapter 1

**OCEANSIDE WELLNESS  
><strong>**11:45AM**

It was a fairly normal Tuesday morning for Dr. Charlotte King. She had a few patients at the practice and had done her rounds at the hospital. She was standing at the counter, checking her messages. She was planning on getting lunch with Cooper. He had been down the last few days—ever since they got the results back of the fertility tests they had gotten done. It had been six months since they started trying, and nothing was happening. Of course, Charlotte feared it was her. She had been so ambivalent about the idea, so she figured she was the reason they couldn't get pregnant. Turns out, she was as fertile as they come. Cooper, on the other hand, well, the doctor told him he had a very low sperm count, and the likelihood of him getting Charlotte pregnant was less than ten percent. He had walked with his head down, barely said a word to her or anyone else, and had been keeping himself busy with charts and American Bake-off.

Charlotte was worried about him. She missed him. She told him that they were having lunch this afternoon, and he couldn't refuse or back out of it. She wanted to see him, talk to him again. She and he both knew there were other ways to make a family, hell, he was adopted, but that didn't make a difference to his mood. His ego was bruised and he was feeling guilty. Charlotte had finally made it clear what she wanted. She wanted a baby—his baby—but he couldn't give it to her.

Charlotte let out a breath and turned around when the elevator dinged. She smiled as Cooper came closer to her. She was leaning against the counter now. "You seem like you're in a better mood."

Cooper smiled and kissed her softly on the lips. "My old friend from high school, Michael, is coming into town with his daughter, Zoe." He paused, looking at her with an apologetic smile.

"You're breaking our lunch date, aren't ya?"

He kissed her quickly on the lips. "Yes."

She sighed, holding onto his arm, brushing her thumb against his shirt.

"He just called and said their plane had landed. I'm meeting them at the promenade." He paused, his eyes widening. "Hey, why don't you come with me? I'd love to show you off to him. He'd never believe I bagged such a beautiful wife." He kissed her.

"Tryin' to make me feel better for blowin' me off and bein' so distant lately?"

"Maybe. But it's true."

She let out a breath and looked up at him. "Ok, fine. Long as I get to have lunch with my husband I don't care who's taggin' along. I miss you."

"I'm sorry. I've been—it's just been a long week."

She nodded and rubbed his arm. "It's ok, Coop. We can make a family some other way. It doesn't make much difference to me."

He sighed. "I know we can. There's adoption and sperm donors and all that, but—."

"I know, Coop." She touched his lips with her finger. "I still love you. You may have only a few swimmers, but that doesn't make the sex any less amazin'." She smirked. "We'll have a family. I promise. I know you feel guilty, but you shouldn't. Sure I wanted to have your baby, but hey, I will have your baby, it just won't be part of you or part of us both. There are other ways to make a family. We ain't done yet, baby." She smiled and pressed her lips against his. She broke the kiss and brushed her thumb across his cheek. "Can you stop bein' all moody moose now?"

He laughed. "I love you."

"Now, let's go eat lunch. I'm starvin'."

"I can tell."

She slapped him. "I had a strawberry for breakfast this mornin'. Leave me alone."

They stepped towards the elevator and Cooper reached over to press the button. "I think you'll like Mike. He'll definitely like you."

"Where's Zoe's momma? You said he was here with his daughter, but what about—."

"She died giving birth to Zoe. She had a postpartum hemorrhage and she had a reaction to the anesthesia. That's what Mike told me when I went there four years ago. Zoe was only a baby at the time, but she was the sweetest thing. I can't wait to see her. She looked a lot like her mother. She was named after her."

Charlotte nodded and slipped into the elevator doors. "I can't wait to mee—she looked down at her phone when it beeped. She scrolled through it and looked at Cooper, sighing. "Sorry, Coop. Emergency at the hospital."

"Well, I guess—." His pager went off and he glanced down at it. "It must be bad. I got paged too."

"At least we'll be together for lunch." She laughed and walked off the elevator when it reached the lobby.

"I'll call Mike and tell him. I'll meet you at the hospital."

She kissed him on the lips and slapped his ass. "See ya there." She laughed and walked out of the building, heading towards her car.

Cooper dialed his buddy's cell number and listened to the rings. It went right to voicemail. "Hey, Mike, hope you get this message soon. I got called into work for something, so let's meet up tonight for drinks. Tell Zo, hi for me. Sorry, man. Drinks at nine. I'll buy. Call me back if that doesn't work for you. We'll think of something else. Bye." He hung up the phone and walked out into the parking lot, searching for his car.

**A/N: thanks so much to Col3725 for editing this for me and adding in some of the details. This is my first Private Practice story, but certainly not my first FanFic. Follow me on twitter: gleeroxmysocks. Definitely more drama to come! Please review. **


	2. Chapter 2

**St. Ambrose Hospital**

**12:20 PM**

Charlotte was standing in the ER, in front of the Ambulance Bay entrance. She had her hands in her lab coat pockets, watching the door.

An ambulance pulled up, backing up to the door, and three paramedics rushed out, unloading a stretcher. They ran into the hospital, one medic running into Charlotte. He swallowed and looked at her. "So sorry, Dr. King."

She held up her hand to silence him. "What do we got, boys?"

"36 year-old female, obvious head trauma and leg fracture."

"What happened?"

"Five car pileup on Colorado Ave."

"So more people are coming in?"

"It's nasty, Dr. King."

"Well, quit talkin' to me and get her into a trauma bay."

He nodded and they disappeared.

The ambulance was replaced by another one and a couple paramedics hopped out of the back, one scooped up a little girl with blonde hair, the other pulled out a stretcher, bringing it into the hospital.

Charlotte looked at the paramedics. "Injuries?"

"43 year-old male with a laceration on his abdomen and left cheek, he most likely has a skull fracture, his abdomen is distended also, and he's got an obvious ankle dislocation."

"And the girl?"

"She's a little shook up, and needs stitches on her forehead. Her fingers need X-rayed."

Cooper walked up behind Charlotte. "Hey, Beautiful. What's the emergency?"

"Five car pileup. More ambulances on the way."

He took the girl from the medic and pushed her hair out of her face. "Hi, I'm Dr. Freedman. That's a nasty cut you got there. Mind if I take a look?"

She nodded.

"You mind?"

She nodded again.

He carried her off, leaving Charlotte with the rest of the mess.

The little girl was sitting on the edge of an exam table, her hands clasped around her pink dress, crumpling the fabric.

Cooper had his back turned to her, getting the suture kit ready. "Was that your daddy?"

She straightened up, her shoulders shook a little, her eyes glazed over, and she stayed completely silent.

He turned around, pushing a tray over to the bed. "Can you tell me your name?"

She shook her head.

"I'm not a stranger. It's ok. I'm gonna be poking your face in a minute, so it might be better if we know each other's names." He smiled. "Nothing? Ok. You can talk when you're ready." He paused. "I'm going to inject some anesthetic along the edges of the gash, so it won't hurt when I stitch you up. It'll make the area all numb." He picked up the needle.

The little girl looked up and pulled away, shaking a little.

"Can you count to twenty?"

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven." She took a breath. "Eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen." She swallowed. "Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty."

Cooper smiled. "Perfect." He paused. "What's your favorite color?"

"Pink."

"Do you have any pets?"

"Dog."

"And what's his name?"

"Buster."

"Do you know what kind of dog, Buster is?"

"A dog?"

He laughed and dropped his hands. "All done." He double checked his work and put a bandage over the stitches. He handed her a mirror. "Take a look."

She looked at her forehead in the mirror and went to touch it.

"Don't touch it. Let it heal." He took her hand and brushed his finger over hers. "Ouch. That looks like it hurts."

She nodded.

"I'll fix that up for you. How's that sound?" He paused. "I can go find out how your daddy's doing if you'd like?"

She looked away, her legs trembling.

"You sit tight. I'll go find out." He took off his gloves and pushed the tray of instruments to the side. He opened the door and walked out into the hallway.

Cooper walked up to Charlotte, who was standing at the central nurses' station in the ER. He leaned against the counter. "Hey, can you get me some information on a patient?"

"What for? And who's the patient?"

"I don't know who the patient is, but you remember the little girl and the guy on the stretcher?"

She nodded. "He's in OR two, right now."

"How's he doing?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I've been back and forth between the ER and the OR. The hospital is a madhouse right now. The place is crawlin' with police, weepin' family members are takin' up the waitin' rooms, and the ER is still buzzin' with overflow from the accident. I'm gonna be up to my neck in paperwork tonight. That little girl tell you her name? I'm gonna need it for the records."

He shook his head. "No. Other than counting to twenty, telling me her favorite color is pink and that her dog's name is Buster, I got nothing out of her."

"Stay with her. Last thing I need is a little girl loose in my hospital."

He kissed her on the cheek. "Do me a favor and find out some information on her father for me—the guy in OR two."

"I'll go see how the doctors are doin'."

"Ok." He paused. "Anyone not make it?"

"There are three casualties so far. Two DOA, one bled out on the OR table."

"So much for our lunch date."

"Yeah." She sighed. She was looking forward to having lunch with him today. "I'll see you later?"

"Page me when you get an update. I'd like to tell that little girl something."

"Yeah, course." She smiled and disappeared down the hallway.

Cooper nodded and took off in the opposite direction.

**1:45 PM**

Cooper was standing at the foot of the little girl's hospital bed, looking through her chart.

The little girl opened her eyes and yawned.

He smiled at her. "Hey, sleepyhead."

She curled her legs under her and pulled the sheet over her head.

"Hey, it's ok." He rested his hand on her little foot.

She violently jerked it back.

There was a knock on the door and Cooper turned his head. "Oh, hey, Charlotte. You have an update for me?"

Charlotte walked into the room and nodded. "They're still workin' on 'im." She looked around the room. "Where'd your patient go?"

The little girl slowly slid the sheet down, revealing her tear stained, flushed cheeks.

Charlotte ran her fingers through Cooper's hair. "How's she doin'?"

"Still won't tell me her name."

"She looks as scared as a cat at a dog pound."

"The accident probably traumatized her. You know, seeing her dad like that?"

Charlotte nodded. "As much as I feel for her, we have sicker patients that need a bed, Coop."

He looked up at her. "You can't be serious."

"She has two broken fingers, a few stitches, and a couple scrapes and bruises. Her head CT was clean, and she has no internal injuries. She doesn't need a bed."

"She was just in a car accident, and had to see her dad with half his face torn off—."

"You know I can't make exceptions."

"Sure you can. You're Chief of Staff, it's in your contract."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, Cooper. Take her to the OR waiting room and sit with her until someone claims her or her father gets out of surgery. She's takin' up a valuable room."

"Char—."

She kissed him on the top of his head. "This isn't up for negotiation."

He grunted.

"I'll try to get more information."

"You just went all boss lady on me, do I at least get a kiss?"

She leaned in close but pressed her finger against his lips instead. She pulled back and smiled. "I'm workin'." She messed up his hair and walked out of the room.

Cooper turned back to the little girl, who had since retreated back under the sheet. "Are you hungry?"

She nodded.

"How about I take you up to the cafeteria and get you a snack and then we can go sit in the waiting room until your daddy is all fixed by his doctors."

She was shaking, and a few muffled sobs escaped her lips

"It's ok. I'll sit with you—."

She shook her head.

"Do I have bad breath or do I smell? 'Cause I swear I brushed my teeth, took a shower, and put on deodorant this morning." He laughed, but still didn't get anything out of the little girl. He sighed. "How about I get Dr. King, the woman who was just in here, to take you to the cafeteria?"

She nodded. "Mmhmm."

"Ok. Stay put." He stood up and walked out of the room.

Charlotte was just walking down the hallway, heading for the elevator.

Cooper ran down to her, stopping just in time to not knock her over. He took a few breaths, his hands on his knees. "I know you're super busy being all sheriffy, but I need you to watch my patient for me."

"Why?"

"I guess she feels more comfortable with a woman. Please?"

She sighed. "Cooper."

"You're the one that said she couldn't take up a hospital bed."

"Get a nurse to babysit."

"Please?"

"Why can't you do this?"

"I already said that she probably feels more comfortable with a woman."

She rolled her eyes. "I really don't have time for this."

He rested his hand on her shoulder. "Pretty please? I'll make it up to you tonight." He winked, stealing a soft kiss on her neck, just below her ear.

She cringed from the contact and let out a breath. "What exactly do I have to do?"

"Take her up to the cafeteria and get her a snack and then just sit with her in the waiting room until her dad comes out of surgery. If we're gonna have our own kid someday, it'll be good practice."

"This—fine, but you owe me."

"Name your price." He smiled and pressed the down button for the elevator. "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"Love you."

"Love you too," she said with an eye roll, and walked away, towards the little girl's hospital room.

Cooper slipped onto the elevator and leaned back, the doors closing a few seconds later.

**A/N: yay ch2! A lot longer than the first one, but we're getting into the drama. Who do you think this little girl is? Review and send ideas my way. thanks again to my awesome editor/cowriter. **


	3. Chapter 3

**St. Ambrose Hospital  
><strong>**2:10PM**

Charlotte turned around and sighed heavily as she headed towards the little girl's hospital room. She slowly opened the door and saw the small child curled up completely under the covers. She was still a little wary around children, even if she thought she was ready for one of her own.

She approached the bed slowly and though children still freaked her out, she was human after all, so the muffled sobs coming from under the white sheet, made her shiver, made her eyes tear up just a little, not enough for anyone to really notice the emotion, and figure out that Charlotte King was near tears, listening to this little girl cry, hearing her soft screams, seeing her outline shaking under the sheet. She sighed and quietly walked to the bed. She gently rested her hand on the child's foot.

The little girl jerked her foot away.

Charlotte sighed, leaving her hand on the mattress, "Hey, now…" She smiled when the little girl slowly uncovered her face and nervously glanced around the room. Charlotte sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the little girl's frightful expression.

"I'm Dr. King, and I bet you have a really pretty name. Can you tell me what it is?"

The little girl shook a little, clinging to the thin white blanket.

Charlotte nodded, letting out a soft, frustrated sigh when she got nothing. "Dr. Freedman told me you were hungry. How about we go to the cafeteria and find you somethin' to eat?"

She paused, watching the little girl's blue-grey-sometimes-brownish-green eyes look around the room, settling on Charlotte's nail polish. Charlotte smiled. "Has anyone ever painted your nails before?"

The little girl shook her head, keeping her eyes trained on Charlotte's red nails. "I have some nail polish in my office. I could paint your nails if you'd like. I'm pretty good."

The little girl looked at her, a little scared.

"I promise I don't bite." She held out her hand. "Let's get you a snack. I can hear your stomach rumblin' from here."

All she got in response was a nod. The little girl took Charlotte's hand, gripping it with her tiny hand, and with Charlotte's help, she got off the bed. She glanced up at her, quickly shifting her gaze somewhere else.

"I think Dr. Freedman went to check on your daddy."

The little girl took her hand away and shifted her weight, her feet shuffling on the tile floor.

Charlotte sighed and smoothed down the little girl's blonde hair. "Snack first, though." She smiled and the little girl took back Charlotte's hand. They walked out of the room, hand in hand.

Charlotte glanced down at the still nameless girl as they walked to the cafeteria. Nurses turned their heads when they passed, doctors quit their conversations, because to an outsider, it looked like the girl was Charlotte's—blonde hair, hazel eyes that changed depending on the light, though her facial structure was different. Charlotte just sighed, again. The kid's cheeks were red and tear stained and there were still a few spots of dried blood along her hairline from where Cooper had stitched her up.

The girl just walked beside her, her feet dragging along the tiled hallway, her hand gripping Charlotte's tight.

They finally reached the cafeteria, which was bustling with people, a lot of them were probably family members and friends from the accident. Charlotte looked down at the girl, "What can I get you?"

The child just shrugged her shoulders.

_Mac and cheese and apple juice it is then. _Charlotte thought to herself. When they finally got to the front of the line, Charlotte realized she hadn't eaten lunch yet and was starving, so she took this as an opportunity to get a bite to eat, since she had no idea how late she would be at the hospital.

Once she finally got the little girl settled with her food, she started to eat. She glanced around the cafeteria, hoping none of the doctors from the practice saw her there with a girl who looked to be about four. She smiled at the girl, who was sipping the juice box and picked up her fork again to take another bite of the pasta.

"I would really like it if you told me your name, so that way when your daddy gets out of surgery, we can tell him you're okay." Charlotte explains.

The little girl's hand trembled and she dropped the fork.

"I can keep a secret. What's your name?"

"I… I'm Zoe," she shyly replies.

Charlotte tried to hide the fact that her eyes widened when the girl said what her name was. She might have even spit out some of her salad, choking a little. She took a sip from her water bottle and looked at the small child, her brain working overtime. Cooper was supposed to meet his friend and his kid who he hadn't seen since she was a baby. She shook the thought from her head. There were tons of kids with the name of Zoe in California, right? There was no way this one could be Cooper's friend's daughter. She smiled, "I knew you had a pretty name. How old are you?"

The little girl held up four fingers on her good hand.

Charlotte kept smiling. She still thought the kid looked as scared as a cat in a dog pound, like she'd told Cooper earlier. At least the kid was eating. She had to be doing something right.

"Dr. Freedman told me about your dog. Do you have any other pets?" Charlotte asked, trying to get the kid to talk.

The little girl shook her head, "Just Buster. He's really big."

"What color is he?" Charlotte asked, trying to keep the girl's mind off of what was really going on.

"Yellow, and he has a blue collar, with white polka dots, and a bone that says his name," the girl told her.

Charlotte smiled and giggled a little as the girl described her dog. She had to get back to the serious stuff soon, or else they wouldn't be able to figure out who the girl really was. "Ya know what, I think the doctors are almost done with your daddy's stitches. There's a room we can go to that has some toys and a TV you can watch while we wait on him."

Zoe shuddered at the mention of her father. "Dr.—Dr. Freedman isn't gonna be there, is he?"

"No. He's tryin' to find out what the heck is goin' on with your daddy."

Zoe shuddered again.

Charlotte gave the girl a reassuring smile.

The little blonde eventually nodded and tried to help Charlotte clear off the table by grabbing her half eaten bowl of pasta.

Charlotte realized that the broken fingers were on her right hand, which must have been the one she used all the time because she was struggling to hold onto the Styrofoam bowl.

Before they could make it all the way to the trash can, which really wasn't that far away, Charlotte looked down to see orange pasta on the floor and little feet scampering out of the cafeteria.

Charlotte quickly picked up the bowl, leaving the pasta for the nearby custodian. She threw away the rest of the things and ran out of the cafeteria. The last thing she wanted was a four year old loose in her hospital. She could hear Cooper now. 'You wanted to have a baby and I gave you one thing to do and you go and lose the kid.' She let out a breath—she could find the kid before Cooper even found out. She had a long night ahead of her, so she wasn't in the mood to be yelled at by Cooper.

Charlotte stopped walking and turned her head to a nurse who was chatting with a patient nearby the door where Zoe ran out of. "You saw a girl run out these doors, right?"

The nurse turned her focus to Charlotte. "Little blonde girl?"

"Yes. Did you see her? You must have."

The nurse nodded. "I did, Dr. King."

"Well, tell me where she went. I didn't ask for my health."

"She went that way, Dr. King." The nurse pointed to the right.

"Thank you." She nodded towards the patient and walked in the direction the nurse had mentioned. Charlotte noticed a blonde curl turn a corner and she quickly followed the young girl.

When Charlotte got to the hallway, there were a few empty gurneys lined up. She started looking underneath them and as she inched along down the hall, she saw Zoe huddled up as close to the wall as humanly possible. Charlotte sighed, and kneeled down, "Zoe, it's okay."

The little girl picked her head up from her knees and fresh tears were falling, staining her cheeks.

"You're not in trouble. It's all cleaned up." She gave Zoe a smile, sitting next to her. "It's quiet here."

Zoe nodded.

"But we can't sit here forever." She paused. "I promised you I'd paint your nails, so let's go to my office and you can pick out the color you want."

"What colors do you have?"

"Red, deep purple, and light pink. You look like you'd be a light pink kinda gal. Am I right?"

Zoe nodded.

Charlotte smiled and got out from under the gurney.

Zoe slowly emerged and pushed herself up. She slid her hand around Charlotte's and looked up at her.

Charlotte gave Zoe's hand a gently squeeze and they walked down the hallway towards the elevator.

Charlotte was sitting on a chair in the OR waiting room with Zoe's legs outstretched onto hers. The bottle of light pink polish was resting on the armrest as she painted the little girl's toenails.

Zoe was distracted, watching the Disney princess movie one of the nurses had put on for a few of the other children in the room—Cinderella, old school VHS. She hadn't gotten around to updating some of the rooms yet. VCRs or DVD players wasn't high on her list of priorities.

Charlotte motioned for a nurse. "Can you drag that box of toys over here?"

The nurse nodded and few minutes later, she appeared at Charlotte's side, the box of toys by her feet. "Here, Dr. King."

"Thank you—you can get back to work now," she said, momentarily stopping the nail painting to dig through the box of toys. She smiled at the plastic horses, but ultimately grabbed a stuffed dog.

Zoe accepted the animal from her and smiled, "He looks like Buster."

"I thought he did too, that's why I picked him." Charlotte smiled, finishing up Zoe's right pinky toenail. She blew on the wet polish and finished with a coat of clear polish, fanning her hand over the finished product. "Now, Zoe, be careful. Your toes are wet, so don't go smudgin' them or bangin' them into anythin'."

Zoe nodded, hugging the dog and watching the movie.

Charlotte carefully lifted Zoe's legs and pushed a short distance away. She lowered Zoe's legs and moved the chair back to its original spot. She sank back into it and focused her attention to the small screen, which was now showing dancing mice and birds. She noticed Zoe seemed to relax once they got a few minutes into the movie, but her little heart hadn't settled down from the incident in the cafeteria. Her phone beeped with a text from Cooper asking if she was in the OR waiting room. She replied, confirming her location. A few minutes later, she smiled when her husband came into the room.

Cooper smiled when he noticed the little girl, clutching the dog with her eyes trained on the TV, and her little toes painted.

Charlotte quietly got up, walking behind the chairs, so Zoe wouldn't notice her moving. "How's the dad doin'?" She asked him.

"Not so good. The laceration on his abdomen was deeper than they thought and his brain keeps bleeding." Cooper said, glancing over at the little girl.

Charlotte sighed, "Have they contacted family?"

"Can't find any. He's not married—at least he's not wearing a ring. His picture is circulating, but there haven't been any hits yet."

"Well, the little girl's gotta go somewhere, Coop. She can't stay here and watch Disney movies all day," Charlotte said.

"I know." He paused before asking, "Did she tell you her name? That may help identify her father."

"Took a lot of teeth pullin', but she did. It's Zoe, and she's four years old. She told me a lot more about that dog too." Charlotte said, not wanting to devolve the little tidbit of information about her losing track of the girl for a short period of time. She glanced at Cooper, who was staring at the little girl, his eyes glazed over and his face as white as Charlotte's lab coat.

**A/N: thanks to my reviewers, and my awesome cowriter/beta reader! There's still more Char/Coop drama to come. Follow me on twitter: gleeroxmysocks, and tumblr, emren10.**


	4. Chapter 4

**St. AMBROSE HOSPITAL  
>3PM<strong>

Charlotte noticed Cooper looking at the little girl and he seemed to be out of it, "Coop.?"

She got nothing, "Cooper?" His eyes were still glazed over and he had a little color back in his face.

She playfully hit him, "Dr. Freedman?"

He shook his head, "Oh…sorry. That's…I know who her daddy is."

"What are you sayn'?" Charlotte asked, slowly turning to check on the little girl, who was now sucking her thumb, her eyelids were drooping, as she continued to watch the video.

"It's Michael. You said she was four, I haven't seen them in four years. She was a baby the last time. I can see the resemblance between her and her mother. Michael's not wearing a wedding ring 'cause her mom died." He told her, finally making eye contact again.

Charlotte sighed, "That crossed my mind when she said her name was Zoe. I wasn't gonna say anythin' 'cause I didn't want you worryin'. Does Michael have any family that we can call to come pick her up? She's worn out and it looks like it's nap time."

Cooper just shook his head. "Michael's parents are dead, and he's an only child, so was her mom. Her mother's mother is gone and her mother's father has advanced Alzheimer's."

Charlotte sighed. "So if he doesn't make it, we'll have to call DCFS."

Cooper nodded. "Unfortunately, yes."

She hated when he mentioned DCFS, more paperwork, though she knew he hated it more. "Let's just wait until he's out of surgery. Amelia's workin' on him so it shouldn't be too much longer."

He nodded, glancing at the now sleeping four year-old. Before anyone else could reply, Amelia came to the door, with a defeated look on her face, her hands twisting in front of her. Cooper turned his head and blinked slowly. Her normally stoic, surgeon, poker-face had disappeared. "I stopped the bleeding and they got his abdomen stitched up fine."

"Well, geez, Amelia, you look like someone just hit you over the head with a shovel. You're a surgeon for heaven's sake. You don't go up to someone lookin' like that, whether the news is good or bad."

Amelia swallowed. "But his heart just couldn't take the blood loss. He went into V-fib, so we charged the paddles, then he flat-lined. We shocked him again and again, but after five minutes with no oxygen, and at that point, there wasn't any blood circulating, so we called it."

Charlotte glanced up at her husband, the color gone from his face again. "Coop—."

"I'm gonna go call DCFS," he said, walking away.

Amelia gave Charlotte a confused look. The blonde sighed, "See the little sleepin' four year-old over there? That's your patient's kid. Her momma's dead, and now her daddy is too."

"Oh," was all the brunette surgeon could say.

"But the cherry on top of that horrific sundae, is that your patient was one of Cooper's buddies from high school. They were supposed to meet up for lunch today." Charlotte explained.

"Oh God. Tell him I'm sorry," Amelia replied.

"I will. Now I gotta figure out how to tell a terrified four year-old that her daddy's dead." Charlotte said, glancing behind her shoulder at Zoe, who was still hugging that stuffed dog.

Amelia sighed, "I've been there—being told my dad was dead. I was only a little bit older than she was. I witnessed his death, and technically, she witnessed her father's death too. Just take it slow. Explain it in terms she'll understand. Doctor speak isn't gonna get you very far here."

Charlotte nodded. "I know. I'm usually not the one that does this, though. I fill out the paperwork, and maybe say somethin' to the parents, but never this. I'll figure it out, though. I always do. But I'm gonna let her sleep right now. She looks plumb tuckered out. It's been one crazy day and it's only around 3:30." Charlotte replied glancing down at her phone.

She sighed. There were now four casualties, a little girl who was now completely alone, and a stack of paperwork that just kept on growing—not like that was the most important thing at the moment. Amelia had walked off to go check on other patients, so Charlotte was just standing there alone, watching the little blonde sleep. _This isn't gonna be easy…_

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her husband, with a piece of paper in his hand. She turned to face him, "Hey."

He just sighed. "I called Michael's lawyer, since I know he has a will. He created it after his wife died. He said to put the house on the market, the profits going into a college fund for Zoe, which the lawyer will take care of—."

"I don't see how this has any relevance, Coop."

"I was getting there. The dog and um, Zoe," he paused, looking at Charlotte, who's eyes were wide.

"What?" She asked, quickly glancing at the little girl. "Get to the point—the dog and Zoe?"

"He gave her to me, same with the dog." Cooper slowly explained, watching Charlotte's facial expression go from shock to just blank.

"So now we have a four year old and a golden retriever?" She asked, making sure she heard right. She was a little sleep deprived and stressed, so for all she knew, she was imagining this conversation.

He squeezed her shoulder. "Yeah, it looks like we're gonna be a family sooner than we thought."

"How do we tell her?" Charlotte asked, glancing at the little girl, who was starting to stir.

Cooper sighed, "I'll call Violet. You just stay with her. We don't want her waking up with nobody around."

"Don't call Violet. Zoe's just gettin' comfortable around me. Violet's gonna be all shrinky. It took me several minutes to get Zoe's name out of her. If you bring Violet in here, it'll set everythin' back, and she'll run away again."

"Run away—again?"

Charlotte swallowed. "I mean, she'll run away. That's what I said. She'll run away."

"Whatever. I don't wanna know. She obviously didn't get too far." He paused. "I really think we should get Violet involved. This isn't about you—."

"Did I say it was 'bout me, Cooper? I'm not that fond of Violet, sure, I'm cordial, she's not my best friend, but this has nothin' to do with my feelins towards Violet, personally or professionally. I'm just sayin' that it took me a long time to get Zoe to open up to me and she's freaked out 'bout somethin'. Not sure if it's the accident or what, and I know this is Violet's area and all, but that girl doesn't need to be shrinked." She paused. "She'll need to talk to someone, but let's wait for that, ok? Let's get through this right now, and worry about that later."

Cooper nodded. "Yeah, ok."

They both heard a whimper from the tiny girl and Charlotte slowly made her way back to the chair where the girl had been sleeping. "Hey, Zoe." She smiled, sitting down next to the four year-old.

The child yawned, stretching like a cat.

"Did you have a good nap?" Charlotte asked, shifting her gaze back to Cooper, and back to the little girl. She just got a nod and another yawn in response.

Charlotte sighed heavily. There was no easy way to tell someone their daddy had died. It was still hard for her to deal with it sometimes, and she was a grown woman. "Kiddo, there's somethin' I gotta tell ya."

Zoe turned her head to the side, a little confused. "Mmk."

"Remember how I told you your daddy was gettin' fixed up by his doctor?" She started, trying to go slow so the young girl could understand and follow along.

She just got a nod, but the girl shuddered at the mention of her father. She'd been doing that all afternoon, and it was starting to make Charlotte worry and frankly, it confused her.

"Well, your daddy hit his head in the accident, and his brain got hurt real bad. There was a lot of blood, and they couldn't get it to stop. He didn't make it, sweetie," she said.

"I think I've heard that on TV, so he…he's dead?" Zoe asked, a little confused, still too young to grasp the concept fully.

Charlotte nodded, and squeezed the little girl's hand, "That's right. He's dead," she repeated, to help the little girl understand.

First she got nothing, just a blank stare, then the little girl's eyes glazed over, a few fresh tears fell, and Zoe buried her head in her knees. Charlotte contemplated telling the girl that her and Cooper were going to take her, along with Buster, in. She then thought about how their tiny loft was suddenly too small for a four year-old and a golden retriever.

She turned to look at Cooper, who looked almost as upset as Zoe. She knew he could pull it together…with the help of Violet, most likely, which irked her a little, but that was beside the point. The point was, he'd be ok, and Zoe would be ok, even though she was going to need help, eventually. Truthfully, Charlotte might need a good shrink after this.

Cooper slowly approached Charlotte and whispered in her ear, "Let her calm down, then we can tell her."

"Okay. Don't know how long that'll take. Are you okay?" She said, looking up at Cooper and placing a gentle, comforting hand on the little girl's shoulder.

He nodded, squeezing his wife's shoulder, "We can do this, right? I know this isn't ideal, but I don't know what else there is to do."

She sighed. They had nothing to care for a young girl, or a dog. Maybe they could get some of Zoe's things from her old house, to make her feel more comfortable when she started living with them, which Charlotte assumed would be that night—that made her nervous. Zoe was going to be her responsibility tonight. No time to prep, no time to talk about it with Cooper, this was happening now.

She nodded, looking at Cooper with glazed eyes. "We don't have a choice, do we?"

"Well, we can say we're not capable of taking her or we don't want to—but I don't wanna see her go into the system if I can help it."

Charlotte nibbled on the inside of her lip, stroking Zoe's blonde hair. She looked at Cooper. "Then, I guess we don't have a choice."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "You're gonna be an amazing momma, Char."

She forced a smile and fought back a yawn. _I've got a terrified four year-old and a hospital to run. I'm not sleepin' anytime soon._ She sighed, starting to gently rub the little girl's back, trying to soothe her.

Cooper sat down next to Charlotte and pulled her hair to the side. He pressed his lips against her neck and kissed her. "We can do this—you can do this. You wanted a baby, you're ready for this," he whispered. "He was one of my best friend's in high school. He trusted me enough with his baby girl. I can't just put her in the system. I wouldn't be able to live with myself—you saw what happened with Betsy and her foster family."

Charlotte nodded, closing her eyes. "Okay, um," she swallowed, "okay."

He rubbed her back, much like she was doing to Zoe. "I love you."

She let out a breath and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "I love you too." She paused. "I'll stay here with her, Coop."

He nodded, standing up. "I'm gonna call Michael's lawyer and get some more information."

"How'd you know he had a will?" She asked.

"We talked about it when I was there four years ago. He wanted to make sure Zoe was taken care of if something happened to him. His lawyer told me that Zo's grandparents, her mother's parents, were named as guardian, and then Mike's step-Aunt, but he made this will four years ago, and things changed—her grandmother is dead, her grandfather doesn't know what year he's living in, and her Aunt's, well I don't know what's up with the Aunt, but she's not in the right state of mind, I don't think. I was next in line."

She nodded. "The lawyer just gave that information away? You bribe him or somethin'?"

"With blow pops and jolly ranchers." He smiled. "It took some persuasion. I told him who I was, the circumstances, and why I needed the information—for Zoe. He wants to set up a meeting with us. I wanted to talk to you first before I set anything up."

"I can appreciate that—wait, you called Violet first, didn't you?"

He flashed her a guilty smile. "Not technically. She called me just as I got off the phone with the lawyer."

"I still appreciate it, I guess. Call the lawyer, and see what else we need to do."

"Stay with Zoe. I think she likes you." He smiled. "Thank you. I know you're a busy woman."

"Busy is the understatement of the year, Coop."

He laughed. "Well, I'm not leaving the hospital, until you do—no matter how late we're here."

"It'll be late."

"I know the drill. I've been involved with the Chief of Staff long enough to know that."

She smiled. "See ya later."

He lowered his head and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Things seem to be calming down a bit."

"Calm before the storm, Coop."

He nodded. "Keep her company. She needs someone."

"I'm not leavin'. Paperwork versus parkin' my ass in this chair—I'll pass on the paperwork."

He laughed and walked over to the door. "Thank you," he repeated. "You've been a lifesaver today."

"There's one life I wish I coulda saved."

"Yeah…me too." He sighed and disappeared down the hallway.

Charlotte looked down at the little girl, who had stopped crying, but had begun to shake a little. "Shhhh."

Zoe slipped off the chair and crawled up onto Charlotte's. She curled into a ball and wrapped her arms around her.

Charlotte swallowed, and looked around. She hesitantly draped her arm over the girl and let out a breath. "You're okay," she whispered, and turned her focus to the TV in the corner. Was she really ready for this to be her life?


	5. Chapter 5

**St. Ambrose Hospital  
><strong>**4PM**

Charlotte sat in the slightly uncomfortable wooden chair, stroking the little girl's blonde hair. Wait—her little girl's blonde hair. She couldn't believe what had just happened. That morning they weren't sure how they were going to have kids, and ten hours later, she was a mother.

She was struggling with figuring out how to tell Zoe that she and Cooper were going to take her home with them. She doubted the little girl even knew who Cooper was. But she smiled at the fact that in a few months the child would be calling her momma and him daddy.

She noticed Zoe was finally starting to relax and she smiled. Cooper came back in, "I called the lawyer back, told him we'd take her. He said he could come here to meet with us if it would be easier for you."

"That's probably the best idea. How do we tell her, Coop? I hate to say it, but she probably doesn't remember you…"

"I know. She was just a baby last time. Maybe we can take her up to your office, it's quiet there," he said. "More private in case she tries to run away again."

Charlotte sighed.

"I didn't mean—she's obviously been through a lot. She would have run away from anyone who was watching her.

She nodded, glancing down at the little girl who was clinging to her. It didn't seem to bother her as much anymore that she was still in the waiting room with this little girl, since she was now her momma.

"Hey Zo, why don't we go up to my office? It's quiet there, and you can hang out with me while I fill out some stuff," she calmly suggested.

She had to get started on the paperwork. It was already piling up. At this rate, she would already be signing and dating things until her hand fell off. She would be here all night if she didn't get a move on with it. The little girl just clung to her, and she glanced up at her husband.

"Can I bring the puppy?" The little blonde quietly asked.

Charlotte smiled, "Sure you can. Maybe we can find you a coloring book or something else to play with too."

"I've never had a coloring book before," Zoe mumbled.

"How is that even possible?" Charlotte gave Cooper a worried look, all afternoon the little girl looked freaked out every time someone mentioned her father, and now she said she had never had a coloring book. Something wasn't right, she wanted to know what was really scaring Zoe.

Cooper just sighed. "I'll go get one, meet me in your office."

She nodded and smiled as he walked out of the room. Zoe relaxed a little more when Cooper left, "Dr. Freedman isn't gonna hurt you, it's okay. He couldn't hurt a fly."

Zoe just continued to cling to Charlotte.

Charlotte sighed, "How about I carry you to my office."

The little blonde clung to Charlotte's lab coat and nodded. She wrapped her arms around the tiny blonde and picked her up. Zoe rested her head on Charlotte's shoulder and tucked her good hand close to her chest.

Charlotte started making her way to the elevator, gently stroking the little girl's hair as she walked. She thought Zoe was just a little too small for a four year old. She made a mental note to have Cooper or one of the other pediatricians at the hospital check her out.

They got into the empty elevator and Charlotte pushed the button for her floor. She continued stroking Zoe's hair when she noticed the child was startled by the sudden movement of the elevator. "It's okay."

She reached her office and unlocked the door, holding it open when she saw her husband coming down the hallway. He smiled, he wanted to kiss her, but he figured that was going to freak Zoe out, so he gave her free hand a squeeze, instead.

"You're already being a good momma." He whispered in her ear, smiling.

"Not sure if this is bein' a good momma or just bein' a person, a doctor with a heart."

"Baby steps," he answered.

She just smiled at him, walking into her office. Part of her didn't want to put the small child down. The little girl needed to know she had somebody there for her. She shifted the girl to her other side, sat down in her chair and reached for a file and a pen.

Cooper sat the princess coloring book and box of crayons on the desk, next to the big pile of paperwork and gave her a small smile. He knew Zoe was still a little skeptical of him, so he left his wife's office, and decided he needed to call Violet and the lawyer again.

Charlotte glanced at her desk, most of it filled with medical paperwork and then one little spot had a coloring book, the first sign she was now a mother.

"It's okay to talk to me Zoe," she reminded the little girl. She knew hospitals were scary for most kids, especially if they came in from an ambulance. And right now, this hospital was full of bad memories for Zoe.

"Where—where am I gonna go now? Am I gonna live in the hospital?" She asked.

Charlotte sighed, and started running her fingers through the little girl's hair. She knew she had to explain things now, since the question was asked.

"Do you remember Dr. Freedman?" She asked, deciding that starting from the beginning might help her understand.

The child nodded, but tensed up a little. "Mmhmm."

Charlotte rubbed her back, "Well, he was really good friends with your daddy, and your daddy told him that if anythin' bad ever happened, he wanted Dr. Freedman to take care of you. He wrote it down and everythin'."

Zoe tensed up and shook her head no. This really worried Charlotte, it seemed like the little girl was scared of men, which wasn't a good sign. She wasn't about to kick Cooper out of the house.

Charlotte kept rubbing her back. "But Dr. Freedman and I are married, so that means I'll be there to take care of you too. You'll be livin' with me too." Zoe nodded. Charlotte wondered if she was the first friendly face Zoe had seen in a while.

"What about Buster? What's gonna happen to him? He doesn't like to be alone." The child innocently asked.

"He gets to come too," she said, smiling.

Zoe seemed to relax when she found out she could still have her dog. "So…you… you're like my mommy?"

Charlotte smiled, it was the first time she'd been called mom, and she decided she liked it. "Yeah sweet pea, I'm your momma." She shuddered. She liked it, but it was kind of scary to say it out loud.

Zoe relaxed a little more. She liked Charlotte. This woman fed her without her having to beg, she let her watch a Disney movie all the way through, and she even painted her nails.

Charlotte let out a breath and heard the little girl's stomach rumble. She just ate. "Hey, you still hungry?"

The little girl shook her head, her shoulders trembling.

"You sure? I heard your tummy rumblin'."

"I'm sorry," Zoe said, her voice uneven as if a few tears were caught in her throat.

"No need to be sorry." Charlotte opened her middle drawer and took out a chocolate chip granola bar. She handed it to Zoe and smiled. "You like chocolate?"

She shrugged. "Never had it."

"What? Never had chocolate, never had your nails painted, never had a coloring book. You livin' on Mars or somethin', Zo?" She laughed.

"I can eat this?"

"Course you can. Here, I'll unwrap it for ya." Charlotte took the bar and pulled the plastic wrapper off, pushing it down a little. "There ya go."

Zoe held the granola bar tight in her hands. She looked at Charlotte.

"Go on, eat it." Charlotte leaned back in her chair and just held Zoe. She really wanted to take the young girl home, get some things set up, and try talking with her. Another thing that concerned her was the condition of the dog. It seemed like Zoe wasn't being taken care of the way she needed to be, and she wasn't sure if things were the same for the dog. "How is it?" She asked, after noticing that Zoe had taken a bite.

"Good," Zoe said with a smile.

"I've got another one for later." She opened up the coloring book to the first page and ran her hand down the seam, making it flat. She opened the crayon box and smiled. "Can you color me a picture? My office is kinda dark and borin'. It needs some brightenin' up."

Zoe nodded and took a pink crayon from the box. "How long do I have to color?"

"As long as you want, Zo. I've got a lot of work to do. I'll let you know when we're gonna go home."

Zoe smiled and started to color. She turned her head and bit her bottom lip.

"You ok?" Charlotte asked, seeing the obvious discomfort on the girl's face and in her body language.

"I gotta go potty."

"You see that door right over there?" Charlotte pointed towards the opposite wall. "Open that and that's the bathroom. Do you need help?"

She shook her head and slipped off Charlotte's lap. She walked over to the door and hesitantly opened the it, her legs were wobbling a little. She turned back to Charlotte, her hand gripping the handle.

Charlotte stood up and walked over to the little. She rested her hand on the top of her head and stroked her hair. She flipped on the light and nudged her. "It's okay." She paused. "There's a stepstool under the sink so you can reach the water."

Zoe nodded and disappeared into the bathroom.

Charlotte started to shut the door but Zoe's little hand shot out. "No!"

Charlotte nodded. "You can leave the door open." She left the door open a crack and walked back over to the desk. "Call if you need help." She sank back into the chair and rested her head in her hands.

Her phone beeped, it was from Cooper telling her the lawyer contacted a local associate who would be there in a half hour to meet with them and discuss some things. Michael's lawyer would be on speaker phone, but the associate was briefed and had a copy of the will. Cooper also threw in that Violet could watch Zoe while they met with the man if needed.

She texted back right away. She was not gonna have Violet shrink the poor kid, but she wasn't blind to the fact that Zoe would need someone to talk to. Charlotte was going to find a good child therapist to work with her. She just didn't feel right having her husband's best friend be her daughter's shrink.

Cooper texted back saying that Violet wouldn't shrink Zoe. She would just sit with her while they were in the meeting.

Charlotte had to laugh at that. Violet, just sit with the little girl and not shrink her? That was the funniest thing she had heard all day. She sent him a text saying that they'd find someone else to watch her or find some other way, but Violet not saying a word or trying to get information out of the girl was a joke.

Her mind drifted from the stacks of paperwork to the things she had to do for Zoe. She soon found herself making a very long list, including calling a realtor to look at houses, their tiny loft just wasn't going to work now, no matter how attached Cooper was to it.

Zoe pushed the door open and walked back over to the desk, slowly. She crawled back up onto the chair and leaned against Charlotte.

Charlotte smiled and watched as the little girl picked up the crayon and started coloring again. "Feel better?"

Zoe nodded. "Mmhmm."

Charlotte took a pen out of her lab coat pocket and clicked it. She let out a breath and got to work, stealing glances at the small blonde child next to her—_her_ small blonde child.


	6. Chapter 6

**St. Ambrose Hospital  
><strong>**Charlotte King's office  
><strong>**5:30PM**

Charlotte started signing paperwork as the little girl colored, well more scribbled than anything else, the picture of Cinderella. Charlotte just smiled as she reached for her phone before reading through the next file. She texted Addison, she'd much rather have her watch Zoe while her and Cooper met with the lawyer than Violet. She knew Addison was great with kids and she thought Zoe would like her.

There was a knock on the door, which startled Zoe a little. Charlotte just rubbed her back and angled her head towards the door. "Who is it?" She called from her desk.

"It's Addison." The woman on the other side replied.

"It's open," Charlotte called back and smiled at the redheaded woman when she walked in.

Addison gave Charlotte a confused look but smiled at the little blonde girl. "Who's this cutie?"

Charlotte smiled, "This is Zoe. Her dad's one of Cooper's old buddies from high school." Once again she noticed the little girl shudder at the mention of her father.

Addison nodded, "What do you want me to do?"

"Can you watch her for me while Coop and I meet with a lawyer?" Charlotte asked.

"Okay, but why are you two meeting with a lawyer?" She asked, glancing down at the scribbled picture the little blonde was working on.

Charlotte glanced down at the girl, "Her dad died in that pileup. He gave Coop custody."

Addison nodded again and smiled at the little girl, who had a hint of fear in her eyes. "Hey Zoe, I'm Dr. Montgomery. Do you wanna come with me and I can take you outside to play for a while?"

Zoe glanced up at Charlotte, and seemed scared. Charlotte sighed, brushing a piece of hair from Zoe's cheek. "Zo, it's okay, you can go with her, she'll bring you back to me soon. I know her. She's nice."

The young child nodded, and jumped down from Charlotte's lap. She slowly made her way to Addison, and shifted her weight from one side to the other. Addison smiled at her, "There's a little playground not too far from here that we can go to."

Charlotte smiled, hopefully letting her play would help her take her mind off things and let her relax. The little girl nodded, "I've never been to a playground."

Addison sighed and gave Charlotte a worried glance. The blonde doctor shrugged her shoulders. The father was dead, they'd never really know exactly what happened.

"Well, I know you'll like it. It's a pretty day outside. You can get some fresh air." Addison said, smiling.

Zoe finally nodded in agreement and took the hand that Addison offered. Charlotte smiled, "Have fun," she said, watching Addison walk off with her daughter, her very tiny daughter.

Five minutes later she got a text from Cooper saying he was coming in to her office, and the lawyer would be there before six. She smiled at him when he walked in the door, carrying two water bottles. She accepted the one he put down by her and took a few sips.

He glanced down at the still open coloring book and smiled, "How long was she workin' on this?"

"The whole time, until Addison came to take her to the playground—she said she's never been to one." Charlotte answered, really looking at the scribbled on picture of Cinderella. The colors were pretty close to being right but the child didn't even try to color inside the lines.

"I'm worried about her," Cooper said, picking up some crayons and putting them back in the box.

"So am I, she's so tiny, Coop… she feels like she weighs nothing. I could pick her up with my pinky finger, and when I rub her back to calm her down, I can feel her spine and ribs almost perfectly. I can count 'em, Coop. Four year-olds are small, but she looks like if we put her outside on a windy day, she'll blow away." Charlotte tells him.

"I can do an exam on her, but I don't think she'll cooperate," he said, closing the book and putting it in the corner of her desk.

"I'll call Dr. Taylor, get her to do it, I hate to say it but I think she's scared of men."

"I don't know why I didn't notice who she was sooner. We could have gotten things checked out earlier and been able to talk to the lawyers sooner," he says, taking a sip of his water.

"Coop, she was a baby when you saw her last. Her daddy had half of his face torn off, there was so much blood and swelling, you wouldn't have known. The police were the ones who were working to try to ID him, you just wanted to find out something for Zoe," she said, standing up and walking towards him. "Besides, you hadn't seen him in four years, a lot can change in four years."

He sighed, "Yeah, but why she's so scared I don't know. Michael never seemed like someone that would ever hurt a kid."

"Things change, Coop, and you know people like to hide things like this because they don't want to mess with the law. When you want to hide somethin' for somebody, you find a way—you get damn good at it," she says.

"Maybe she's just scared 'cause she's in a hospital and she was in a car accident. Today's been a long day for her and that could be part of it. Maybe she'll be better once we get her home," he said.

They both hear a knock. "Daniel Parker." the voice called.

Cooper went to open the door and smiled at the older man. "Dr. Cooper Freedman, and this is my wife, Charlotte," he said, and shook the man's hand.

"Michael's lawyer said we could call him and put him on speaker for this, if that's okay with you," the man said.

The two doctors nodded. The man handed Charlotte a business card with the lawyer's information on it and she dialed the man's number on her office phone.

After two rings, the man picked up, "Tony Norton."

"Hey, Tony, it's Daniel. I'm with Cooper Freedman, Michael's friend," the other lawyer said.

"Ah, okay. What we need to do is sign custody over to Cooper Freedman and get the house put up on the market," Tony explained.

Daniel nodded, "Okay, what about the things inside the house?"

"Give the girl's things to the Freedmans, that'll help them out. We can just sell the other things or give them to good will," he said.

Charlotte sighed, half in relief, but half in worry. Zoe's stuff wouldn't get here until the end of the week, most likely, so she'd have to figure out something to do until then. Cooper squeezed her hand, and gave her a small smile.

"When was the last time you saw Michael and Zoe?" Cooper asked Tony.

"Um, about six months ago. Zoe's preschool teacher noticed that she hadn't been bringing lunches or coats with her for days in a row, and reported neglect. Michael called me and begged to have the charges dropped, which didn't happen; however when they did the initial investigation, checking Michael out, the home, etc., the search turned up nothing admissible in court, so the charges were eventually dropped," he explained.

"So that was it?" Charlotte sighed.

"As far as I know," he replied. "Anyway, Michael appointed me as his executer and trustee, so I will be taking care of Zoe's financial responsibilities. All you, Dr. Freedman, are responsible for, is Zoe's well being."

Cooper nodded. "I have a question."

"Shoot."

"This is just a temporary thing, right? I mean, I'd have to file a petition for permanent guardianship."

"That's correct, but I don't see any reason why a court wouldn't grant you permanent guardianship. Michael named you as guardian and he and Zoe's mother are deceased. She doesn't have any other family, so as long as the court sees you as a fit parent, a judge will most like grant you permanent guardianship."

"With this, would my wife be able to be included?"

"Not initially; however, you can choose to adopt Zoe once permanent guardianship is in place, and if both of you agree to it, your rights would be equal. As it stands right now, your wife has no legal rights to the child."

Cooper nodded. "How soon can I file for permanent guardianship?"

"As soon as possible. Daniel can get you all the necessary paperwork."

"Okay."

"If whatever reason, you cannot or are not willing to take Zoe—."

Cooper shook his head and brushed his thumb against Charlotte's knuckle. He looked at her, smiling faintly. "You're okay with this?"

Charlotte nodded. "If Cooper doesn't take her, what happens?" She asked Tony.

Tony cleared his throat. "The court would take custody of her until a more permanent home could be established."

"We'll get her into a new preschool and I'll find her a counselor. Things should be okay. " Charlotte told him, looking at Cooper, giving him a little nod. "I'm okay with this—scared outta my skull, but I'm okay with this. It's better than the system, especially in her state of mind."

"Okay. You just have to sign the papers, indicating that you'll take responsibility of Zoe, and I'll contact you with information on her trust and other financial matters," Tony explained.

"Thanks. I think I've got this from here," Daniel said, and the phone clicked when Tony hung up.

Daniel showed Cooper where to sign and gave them Michael's address. He shuddered. He remembered his mother always telling him not to go in that part of town. 'It's not safe', she'd always tell him. He ventured their one day after school when he was twelve. The houses were all rundown, with boarded up windows, trash bags covering broken windows, and chipped paint, chipped wood, sinking roofs, etc. Cooper squeezed Charlotte's hand, and let out a breath, looking at her.

They followed Daniel to the door and Charlotte sighed, "What did he do to her?"

Cooper squeezed her shoulders, "You don't know he did anything."

Charlotte just looked at him, her eyebrows knitted together. "Okay, I don't know _he _did anythin', but someone did, and I'm puttin' my money on him."

"We'll figure it out soon."

She sent Addison a text that the lawyer just left and she could bring Zoe back if they were ready.

**A/N: Thank you for all the alerts/reviews. This is the first story that I've posted in a while that's gotten this much attention. And thanks to my beta/cowriter for helping me out. **


	7. Chapter 7

**St. Ambrose Hospital  
><strong>**Charlotte King's office  
><strong>**6:30PM**

Charlotte walked over to her desk, and sank into her chair. She sighed, tapping her pen on the desk. "Coop?"

Cooper stood behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders, kneading his fingers into her muscles. He kissed the top of her head. "Yeah, Char?"

She let out a breath and angled her head, so she was looking at him.

"Sweetie, what is it?"

"Do you think I'm ready to be a momma? I mean, a baby is one thin', but Zoe's four and she's, well, she's scared and somethin' horrible happened, do you think I'm ready for all that?"

He dropped his hands and sat on the top of her desk. He smiled at her. "Char, you spent the whole afternoon with Zoe. You fed her, you colored with her, you talked to her, you kept her safe. You're ready." He paused, leaning over and placing a soft kiss on her lips. "You're doing great, Char. Zoe'll need counseling, she'll need some serious help, but what you've been doing all day, is giving her reason to trust you and you're providing her stability. She'll be fine, and so will you."

She smiled at him, leaning back against her chair. "I'm really worried 'bout her."

"Me too, but whatever you're doing, keep doing it."

She nodded. "I hope she gets used to you fast 'cause I don't think I can do this by myself."

He laughed. "She'll realize I'm not a monster soon enough, but until that happens, she's gonna need you."

"Yeah." She paused and leaned forward, rubbing her face with her hands and sighing.

He stood up and rested his hand between her shoulder blades, massaging her lightly. He squeezed on either side of her neck and sighed. "I can't give you a baby and now you're stuck with this kid. I'm sorry."

She looked up at him, dropping her hands. "Cooper." She rested her hand on top of his, on her shoulder. "There are other ways to make a family, and this, Zoe, is just our way of doin' it. You're not stickin' me with anythin', Coop. I married you, I love you, and I want us to be a family."

"So you're obligated—you're forced to—."

"Shhh." She stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips against his. She smiled and broke the kiss. She hugged him, resting her head on his chest. "None of that. You don't have to feel guilty about not bein' able to give me a baby, about Michael namin' you as Zoe's guardian, or that you didn't recognize him or Zoe sooner." She paused. "I love you, Coop. I'll do anythin' for ya. It'll be ok. It'll all be ok."

He completed the embrace and held her close to him. "I love you too. I'll make this up to you."

"Coop, you bein' my husband and helpin' me, us through this, is enough."

He smiled.

The door opened and Addison and Zoe walked in. Zoe bolted over to Cooper and started punching him in the back of the legs. "Get away from her, bad man. Don't hurt her."

Charlotte dropped her arms and scooped Zoe into her arms. She stroked her hair, running her fingers through the little girl's blonde locks. "It's ok, Zo. He wasn't hurtin' me."

Zoe wrapped her arms around her and pushed her face into her neck. She was shaking and Charlotte could feel tears against her skin. She sat down in the chair and lifted up Zoe's chin. "Sweet pea, he wasn't hurtin' me."

"Promise?"

"I promise." Charlotte pushed Zoe's hair out of her face and tweaked her nose. "Can I see that beautiful smile of yours? Please?"

Zoe rubbed her eyes and wiped her hand under her nose.

Charlotte grabbed a tissue from the holder on the corner of her desk and handed it Zoe. "Blow."

Zoe blew into the tissue and swallowed. She looked at Charlotte and smiled.

"There it is. I knew it was there somewhere. It was playin' hide n' go seek." She paused and looked at Cooper, a concerned look in her eyes.

Cooper sighed and whispered, "I'm gonna go home. Call me when you're on your way home, okay?"

Charlotte nodded. "I'm probably gonna take half this paperwork home with me 'cause I can't focus."

"You gonna eat dinner here? 'Cause I can make you something or I can stop and get something on the way home."

"I want to get through some of this, so I'll probably just eat here, but thank you anyway."

"Okay, so I guess I'll see you later." He blew her a kiss, afraid of what would happen if he tried to kiss her.

She caught it and blew one back. "Stop."

"Stop what?"

"You're feelin' guilty. I can see it in your face."

He sighed. "I wish I could do something to help."

She nodded. "Just tell me what to do—that's all you can do right now, all you can do to help me."

"You seem to be doing just fine."

"Zoe was just dropped into my lap, Coop. I have no idea what I'm doin'."

"Coulda fooled me." He smiled. "Let her tell you what she needs. Just be here for her. Do what you're doing. That's all you can do right now." He paused. "I'll see you at home."

"Yeah." She paused. "It's gonna be okay, right? We'll be okay?"

He nodded. "Everything's gonna be just fine." He walked over to the door, where Addison was still standing, almost frozen. "Addison, you okay?"

Addison blinked and looked at Cooper. "What just happened?"

Cooper shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine." He looked at Charlotte. "Call me later. Good luck with the paperwork and with Zoe. Thank you."

She smiled. "I can manage—I think."

"You can," he assured her. "Bye, Zoe," he said, getting silence in response. He sighed. Looks like I'll be sleeping on the couch, he thought to himself as he made his way down the hallway with Addison.

Charlotte shifted the tiny four year old to her other side and began signing some forms. She gently rubbed the little girl's shoulder and whispered calming words into her ear every few minutes. She noticed the girl growing heavier on her and realized the child was falling asleep.

"Kiddo, how about I take you to get somethin' to eat, and then you can sleep," she calmly said.

"Really?" The little girl asked, glancing up at Charlotte.

"Yeah, it's dinner time anyways."

"Oh, ok," Zoe replied.

Charlotte sighed, helping the little girl up and grabbing her purse. One Happy Meal wasn't going to hurt the girl, she was so tiny it wouldn't matter. Zoe stayed close to Charlotte as they walked through the busy hospital to her car. Charlotte sighed, she was Chief of Staff at the hospital, but her daughter didn't have a car seat. But then again, when she went to work this morning, she didn't even have a daughter.

She buckled the tiny girl in the car and got in the driver's side and put on her own seatbelt. She glanced in her rearview mirror and smiled at the little girl when she started to back out.

"Where are we going?" Zoe asked, sounding a little scared.

"We're gonna go to McDonald's and get you something to eat." Charlotte explained.

"I don't think I've had that before," the little girl replied. There was definitely something wrong, the kid was terrified of men, and hadn't done some things Charlotte knew were normal for four year olds.

"I think you'll like it. How do chicken nuggets sound?"

Zoe just nodded, she was so hungry it didn't matter what Charlotte put in front of her. She'd eat it.

They got to the restaurant and Charlotte shrugged off her lab coat and got out of the car. She helped the little girl out of the seat and scooped her up. The girl clang to Charlotte as they made their way into the building and Charlotte ordered for them.

The meal went by pretty calm and Charlotte helped Zoe eat most of her chicken, and then let her have the toy. They started to leave the restaurant and Zoe clang to Charlotte as they walked out.

It was nearing seven thirty and Charlotte decided it would be ridiculous to go back to the hospital with Zoe. Instead she decided take the little girl home, and let her relax.

She buckled Zoe into the car again and started driving towards the loft, texting Cooper and letting him know they were on their way. He responded saying he went to pick up the dog and a few clothes.

She just smiled and continued to drive home. Once she got there she turned around and the little blonde girl was sound asleep in the back seat. She sighed, got out of the car and gently scooped up the little girl.

Zoe just squirmed and Charlotte rubbed her back as she walked up to their loft. She opened the door and was greeted by a big golden retriever who started barking.

"Buster," Cooper scolded and the dog quieted down. He kissed Charlotte on the cheek and smiled.

"How is she?" He asked.

"Sleepin', I took her to McDonalds, I figured a Happy Meal wouldn't do much harm. I think she'll be happier when she wakes up and sees her dog, she replies, rubbing the girls back. "But how'd you get the dog?"

"Since I got off the phone with the lawyer the first time, he sent one of his colleagues to Michael's place to get the dog and a few of Zoe's things together, and have it brought here. The fight wasn't too bad. I met him at the airport and got the stuff. He told me that she didn't have much. He found a few outfits and this little guy," he said, showing her a ragged stuffed puppy.

Charlotte smiled, taking the stuffed animal from him. "How bad was it there? Did he say?"

"It's the bad part of town, Char, what do you expect? If it's anything like I remember it, it's pretty bad." He replied, scratching behind the dog's ears when it came up behind him. "I'm glad we got the dog tonight. It'll probably make Zo feel more at home—although I'm not sure how pleasant that at home feeling is."

She sighed, and moved towards the couch. She sat down and cradled the little girl in her arms, putting the tattered stuffed animal close to the girl's hands. She smiled when the dog came up to her and started sniffing Zoe. Charlotte scratched behind the dog's ears, just like she'd seen Cooper do a few minutes earlier. Zoe squirmed when she felt the dog's nose nudge her.

Charlotte brushed some hair from the little girl's face and smiled when Zoe's eyes opened. She jerked her head and arm away from the nudge she felt earlier and clang to Charlotte.

"Kiddo, I want you to look that way and see what we found," she said, rubbing the girl's back.

Zoe hesitantly turned her head the other way and her eyes lit up when she saw the dog. "BUSTER!" She smiled.

Charlotte smiled and sighed at the same time when she looked up at Cooper. She sat Zoe up so the girl could pet her dog. Cooper smiled at her when the dog started wagging its tail. Zoe was smiling.

Charlotte decided having the dog wasn't gonna be so bad, especially if it made Zoe happy. And that's what they wanted, was for her to be happy.

**A/N: They've finally got Zoe home. How do you think her first night will go? Review and let me know if you have any ideas! And thanks to those that already have reviewed/alerted. And thanks again to my cowriter! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Charlotte and Cooper's Loft**

**8:30 PM**

Charlotte sat on the couch and held the little girl as she continued to pet her dog. She noticed the child start to relax and smiled at her husband. She started to play with Zoe's hair as the dog walked away to get a drink from the dish Cooper had set out in the kitchen.

The little girl leaned back and rested her head on Charlotte's chest. She wrapped her arm around Zoe and gently rubbed her shoulder. The little girl was a lot more relaxed than when they were at the hospital, and that was a good thing.

"Zo, you still hungry?" She asked when she heard the little girl's stomach growl.

She could feel Zoe get a little tense when she asked, so she kept rubbing her shoulder. "I can hear your tummy rumblin' again… do you wanna see what I can find you to eat?"

The four year old nodded, and Charlotte stood up, still holding Zoe. She carried the child into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. The little girl looked around and then nervously looked at Charlotte. She sighed and brushed some blonde hair away from Zoe's face.

"What can I eat?" Zoe nervously asked.

"Whatever you want kiddo," Charlotte told her, smiling.

Zoe shrugged, and looked to Charlotte because she wasn't sure what she wanted, and some of the things she hadn't really seen before. Charlotte found some plain pasta in a container from the night before and decided it would be good for Zoe.

She sat the child on the counter and dumped the pasta into a bowl and added a little butter. She put the bowl into the microwave and noticed Zoe had a frightened look in her eyes.

"It's okay Zo, it won't hurt you," she calmly said, resting her hand on the child's shoulder. The microwave beeped a few seconds later and Charlotte went to get the pasta. She mixed in the melted butter and brought the bowl over to Zoe.

"Let's get you situated at the table so you can eat," she said, smiling.

She just got a nod in response. She picked up the girl from the counter, sitting her down at the table. She smiled as she sat down next to Zoe, who was already starting to eat. She didn't want to try talking yet because she didn't want to scare Zoe, she just wanted her to eat. She let a soft sigh escape. The little girl was starving, and was wasting no time eating the pasta in front of her. Zoe would eat pretty much everything in the refrigerator if Charlotte let her, but Charlotte wanted to make sure the things Zoe ate were healthy because it was obvious she hadn't been getting the nutrition she needed. It wasn't long before Zoe finished the bowl of pasta and looked at Charlotte with a longing in her eyes. She sighed, "Do you want more, kiddo?"

"I can have more?" The little girl asked, her eyes wide.

"Sure you can. If you're still hungry, I want you to keep eatin'," Charlotte replied, smiling.

Zoe nodded as Charlotte picked up the bowl and brought it back into the kitchen where she saw Cooper making a cup of coffee. "How's she doin?"

"She's starvin' Coop. She didn't eat much at the hospital 'cause she was scared but she scarfed down those chicken nuggets and now she's scarfin' the pasta," Charlotte explained.

He sighed, "Just keep feedin' her until she's full. It's probably been a long time since she's had a good meal. She looks a little malnourished."

"That's what I thought. It's scary. I have to keep myself from cringing every time I stroke her back or shoulder. She's just skin and bones. I'm callin' Dr. Taylor in the mornin', I wanna make sure everything's okay," she told him, mixing another bowl of pasta.

"Alright, you can use my office so she doesn't have to go back to the hospital," he said, squeezing Charlotte's shoulder.

"Thanks. It'll probably help too, I'll let you know what time her appointment is," she replied.

"You okay?"

She nodded, offering him a soft smile. "I can't do this alone, but she shakes every time she sees you. She tried to beat you up for huggin' me, Coop."

He brushed her hair behind her ear and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Do you need me to sleep on the couch tonight? I will."

"We'll see. I really wanna sleep with you tonight. Even if she's scared out of her mind, we need to set boundaries, rules. If she gets comfortable in the bed, we may never get her out of it." She paused. "Landry had nightmares when he was little. I mean, horrible nightmares, and he'd knock on my parents' bedroom door and climb up in their bed, squeezin' in between 'em. He spent three years in my parents' bed, Coop, even after the nightmares were gone. I don't want that happenin' with Zoe."

He nodded. "Keep doing what you're doing. She'll see I'm not a bad guy. I'll wait." He kissed her again, and let out a sigh. All he wanted to do was hold his wife and brush his lips gently against her warm skin.

She smiled at him. "Just please, don't leave. Be patient."

"I am not going anywhere, sweetie. Go back and give Zoe the pasta. I'll be in the bedroom if you need anything."

She smiled, walking back over to the table and putting the bowl down in front of Zoe, who immediately started eating.

Charlotte smiled when Zoe finished the pasta and pushed the bowl away. "All finished?"

Zoe nodded, and jumped down from the chair, walking over towards Buster. She lied down by him and rested her head on the dog's body. Much to Charlotte's surprise the dog didn't growl, or jump up, it stayed still. She wondered if Zoe slept with her dog instead of in a bed. The dog look like a soft, fluffy rug and Zoe disappeared in his fur.

Cooper came up behind Charlotte and rested his hands on her shoulders. He started massaging them, digging his thumbs into her tight muscles.

"Coop," she mumbled, relaxing under his touch.

"Yeah, sweetie?" He asked, continuing to massage her shoulders.

"I want to sleep with you. We've seen each other all day, but I miss you. But look at her, she's usin' the dog as a pillow, Coop, and she's one blink away from noddin' off. Maybe she should sleep in the bed with me—at least until she gets used to you, us, this whole situation, or until we get her a bed, whichever comes first."

He nodded. "I'll sleep on the couch. From all the times you've kicked me out of the bed, I've gotten quite used to the couch." He laughed. "It's fine. She needs you, she needs a bed—after all that's happened today, she needs a bed to sleep in and she needs you. She's practically glued to your side."

She sighed, glancing to the four year old, and then up at Cooper. "It makes me wonder if she even has a bed at home, y'know? If I was that dog, I'd be ready to bite Zoe's nose off, but Buster didn't even flinch or make as much as a whimper. It's like he's used to her sleepin' like that—like that's how it is at home."

"She might have. I'll let you talk to her about it, though," he said, still kneading the muscles in Charlotte's back and shoulders.

"Mmmm. That feels good, Coop, but I gotta get the little rugrat in bed before she falls asleep on the floor." Charlotte replied, reluctantly stepping away from him. His massages were heaven, especially after a long day like this one.

"Alright, I'll let you have some time with her," he said, walking off after stealing a kiss.

Charlotte walked up to the little girl and kneeled down, "Zoe, honey, let's get you cleaned up and ready for bed. It's getting late"

Zoe shook her head. "I have to sleep here."

Charlotte sighed, she was right. The poor thing probably slept on her dog every night. "You don't have to sleep there, sweet pea, and Buster can even sleep in bed with you if you want him to," she suggested, she wanted Zoe to have a comfortable place to sleep, and a tile floor wasn't gonna cut it.

"Really?" She asked, her eyes growing wide.

"Really. Why don't we get you cleaned up? You'll feel better," she calmly told Zoe.

"Mmmk," Zoe mumbled, fiddling with her long blonde hair.

Charlotte helped the little girl up and led her into the bathroom. She smiled when she saw the tiny clothes lying on the counter. Cooper put them in a good spot. She explained to Zoe that she wanted to give her a bath and the little girl just nodded.

Charlotte carefully removed Zoe's clothes. "It's ok, Zoe," she said in a soft whisper. She blinked, seeing the faded and fresh bruises on the little girl's chest and stomach. She swallowed hard and brushed Zoe's hair to side.

Charlotte was a little surprised when Zoe didn't put up much of a fight when she tried to give her a bath, aside from the slight trembling and cringing. She did notice the little girl's eyes were growing heavier as she continued to pour the warm water over her head to rinse out the shampoo. Poor baby just needed some sleep.

A few minutes later, she grabbed a towel and helped the little girl out of the tub and dried her off. She grabbed a nightgown that looked just a little too big but decided it would be okay until she could go shopping for some better clothes. It was better than having her sleep buck naked.

Zoe smiled when she noticed that it was her favorite nightgown that Charlotte picked out. She decided she liked the woman. She hadn't done anything mean all day and it was nice, she even gave her a bath, which felt really good because it had been a while.

Charlotte plugged in her hair dryer and kneeled down next to the little girl, "Have you ever seen a hair dryer before Zo?" She asked, showing the girl the appliance.

The little girl nodded, her legs shaking a little. She closed her eyes tight and walked over to the bathroom door. She opened it and was about to disappear when she heard Charlotte's voice.

"Zo, it's okay." She picked up the dryer and started blowing out her own hair first. "I'm just gonna dry your wet hair."

"Just my hair, like that?"

"It'll be painless, I promise. I just want to get all the water out of your hair. I know it sounds scary, but it's not."

"Only my hair?" Zoe asked again, her eyes glazed with tears, her legs still shaking.

"Only your hair, honey. It'll make your hair pretty and shiny."

Zoe was shocked when she got nothing but a smile from Charlotte. "Just my hair," she repeated her question, still not completely convinced.

"Yes, Zo. I'm only gonna touch your hair. I promise. That's it." Charlotte calmly replied.

The little girl smiled and nodded, letting her fingers find their way to her damp hair.

"But if you want, your hair can air dry. I use this on my hair and I thought maybe you'd want me to try it on yours." Charlotte suggested.

Zoe nodded and Charlotte started to dry the little girl's hair. Almost thirty minutes later, her blonde hair was dry and hanging in loose curls down her back. Charlotte smiled, it looked a lot like hers when she was younger.

"See, that wasn't that bad, was it?"

Zoe shook her head and looked up at Charlotte, her fingers instantly running through her soft, loose curls. She smiled and her legs stopped shaking and her tears dried.

Cooper had come into the bedroom to get a book and smiled when he saw Charlotte brushing through Zoe's hair. "Hey there, pretty girl," he said, smiling at the four year old.

Zoe turned around and clang to Charlotte. Charlotte just sighed as she rubbed Zoe's back and picked up the child, who was shaking a little. "It's okay, Zo, I promise," she calmly said, still rubbing the little girl's back. She just looked at Cooper and sighed as he grabbed a book and walked back out of the room. She took the scared little girl, sat down on the bed, and started rocking her. It seemed like almost an hour went by before the tears subsided and Zoe was sleeping, even though it was in Charlotte's arms.

Charlotte moved so her back was supported by the headboard and pillows, and continued to hold the sleeping girl. She watched the little girl sleep, her eyes twitching with each hushed snore. She looked at the empty space next to her and then through the open divider screen. She saw the back of Cooper's head as he sat up on the couch, most likely reading the book he grabbed from the bathroom earlier. They weren't fighting, she hadn't kicked him out of the bed in anger, but it felt like that. She was alone—she was with Zoe, but she was alone. It wasn't his fault. It was no one's fault except for the sick piece of crap that hurt Zoe.

Cooper set his book down and stood up. He walked over to the bedroom and stood in the opening. He smiled at Charlotte and held onto the divider. "I forgot to say goodnight."

Charlotte smiled. "Goodnight."

"You need to sleep. She's asleep, put her down and get comfortable. You've been up since seven this morning, you've been taking care of a frightened child all afternoon, and I know you've been stressed lately and upset 'cause I haven't exactly been present. You really need to sleep. Set her down carefully on the mattress and scoot closer to her. If she wakes up, you're right there, she can see you, feel you next to her."

"I don't want her to scream."

Cooper snapped his fingers and Buster came prancing over to him. "Up, boy." He patted the foot of the bed and the dog jumped up. Buster spun around in a circle and plopped down on the mattress, curling into a ball.

Zoe opened her eyes and Cooper hid behind the partition. She looked at Charlotte and rubbed her eyes.

Charlotte smiled. "Lie down next to me, Zo, and go back to sleep. I'm right here if you need me, and Buster's here," she said, looking at the curled up fluff ball at the foot of the bed.

Zoe smiled and crawled off of Charlotte's lap. Charlotte pulled back the sheets for her, and Zoe slipped under them, letting her head sink into the pillows.

Buster lifted his head and turned it towards Zoe. He sniffed the air, his tail batting against the comforter. He pushed himself up and walked up to her. He walked around in a circle three times and lied down next to her, taking up most of the middle space between Charlotte and Zoe. Charlotte didn't mind—too much.

Zoe smiled and patted the dog's head. She looked at Charlotte, her smile even wider.

"Goodnight, Zo."

Zoe closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.

Cooper reappeared and looked at Charlotte. "I love you, sweetie."

Charlotte let out a breath. "I love you too, Coop." She paused. "Please, be patient," she told him again, more fear in her voice than the first time.

He sighed. "I got you into this mess in the first place, Char. I'm not going anywhere and I'll be patient. I wouldn't leave you. It's my fault you're in this spot."

"It's no one's fault. Michael knew you'd be responsible and take good care of his baby girl, and you will—we will. I'm not blamin' anyone. I'm scared, but who wouldn't be? Becomin' an instant parent—that's scary stuff. You didn't put me in any spot, you didn't get me into this. I want a kid, I just didn't think it'd happen like this, or this fast. I just need you to be patient 'cause I may seem like I've got a knack for this momma stuff, but I'm lost and I need you. I love you. I love you so much, Coop. We can get through this, right?"

He just wanted to walk over to her, wrap his arms around her, and kiss her, hold her, run his fingers through her hair. He was actually jealous of Zoe. She got to sleep next to his wife; she got to hold onto her. "We can get through anything, sweetie. We've been through a lot, you and me, and we can get through this, just the same." He smiled at her. "I'll see you in the morning."

"I hope she'll be okay. I hope she doesn't have a nightmare or somethin'. I don't think I can handle that."

"Char, you of all people should know how to handle that," he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You had to bring that up, didn't you, Cooper?"

He sighed. "Sorry." He swallowed. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

She let out a breath, which was mixed with a yawn. "I'm okay. It's about her, right now, not me. I'll do my best."

"She trusts you, Char, and if she has a nightmare, you'll know what to do. It'll be instinctual. All that's happened today, the screaming, the crying, the hiding, and the trying to beat me up—those were all results of flashbacks, and you handled those beautifully. You'll know what to do."

She smiled. "Thank you, Coop."

"Go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning." He blew her a kiss. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." She shifted on the mattress and pulled the covers up over her and Zoe. Buster nudged the sheets with his head and buried himself under them, curling into a tighter ball against Zoe. Charlotte looked up and Cooper was still standing there. "I'll see you in the mornin'."

"I love you," he whispered and walked back over to the couch, shutting the divider.

Charlotte let out a breath. "I love you too," she said even though he was already back on the couch. She looked at Zoe and sighed. She knew something bad had happened to Zoe, you'd have to be stupid and blind not to notice that, and Charlotte was determined to figure out what.

**A/N: And the drama with Zoe begins. Charlotte and Cooper are just starting to figure out what happened to her, and helping her get better. Thanks to my cowriter and my readers and reviewers. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Charlotte and Cooper's Loft  
><strong>**1AM**

Charlotte was sleeping pretty soundly, but she still wasn't quite used to the big dog being there next to her, digging his claws into her back, or used to the light snores coming from the little girl next to the dog. She hadn't quite grasped that this was going to be her life for a while—the dog and the girl in her bed, and Cooper sleeping on the couch.

She had started falling into a deeper sleep when she heard a muffled whimper. She opened her eyes and propped herself up. She turned her head and noticed the little girl had her face buried in the dog's fur, her shoulders shaking as soft cries got trapped between her and dog.

She sighed, and gently rubbed the little girl's back, "Shhh."

She felt the little girl stir under her touch and quickly glanced at the clock, letting out a breath when it only read three after one. She heard another whimper and the little girl tried to get closer to Buster. This is when Charlotte realized she was having a nightmare. She figured it would be best to wake the little girl up and hold her rather than let her sleep through the horrible dream she was having.

She kept rubbing the girl's back, "Zoe, honey."

The little girl's head snapped up, her eyes brimming with tears, and she was shaking just a little. Charlotte's heart broke for the little girl. She was in a strange place, her dad had just died, and she was terrified of something. After a few seconds, Zoe crawled around Buster and onto Charlotte's lap.

Charlotte sighed and wrapped her arms around the tiny girl. "Shhh, it's okay, Zoe."

Zoe clang to Charlotte, without saying a word.

Charlotte just rubbed the little girl's back, and felt every tiny vertebrae and a rib that felt like it had been broken. She started to rock the little girl, in hopes of lulling her back to sleep. It wasn't really working. She could still hear muffled sobs and feel the shakes coming from Zoe's body.

"What happened, sweat pea?" She calmly asked. She thought maybe Zoe just needed an invitation to talk, and that it would help her open up.

The little girl took a shaky deep breath, "Ba…ad dream."

Charlotte continued to rub her back, she knew those were hard, plus it had to be even worse for a four year old.

"Can you tell me what happened in your bad dream?" She asked, her voice soft and steady. She knew sometimes it was harder to talk about the dream than to actually have it , but she decided to ask anyway. Cooper did, and eventually, she opened up and told him what she was screaming about. Even though he knew, it helped her just the tiniest bit, but nonetheless, it helped.

Zoe shook her head, "I can't—."

Charlotte sighed, "Alright, honey, just try to get some more sleep, momma's here." She was shocked that that actually came out of her mouth. She couldn't believe that she actually told the little girl she was her mother. It was definitely something she was gonna have to get used to. She figured Zoe would want to and in the end, call her mom, but she just wasn't sure how early that would happen—or if she was actually ready for that. It probably wouldn't hurt the little girl to start hearing the word now, just so she could get used to it—so Charlotte could get used to it too.

Zoe relaxed into Charlotte a little and her breathing started to even out.

Charlotte made a mental note to call Dr. Patterson, the child therapist, either in the morning or the next day. She continued to rub the little girl's back and moved so she was once again leaning against the headboard and some pillows. Buster perked up and moved his head to sniff the little girl in Charlotte's arms. She scratched between the dog's ears, letting him know things were okay. After a few minutes, Buster calmed down again and curled up beside her. She was still holding the sleeping girl and didn't want to move her, afraid that she would scream and wake up again.

Eventually, Charlotte fell asleep holding the little girl. She realized Zoe could probably hear her heart beat and it most likely helped calm her—the same way that it helped calm newborns down.

Out of normalcy, Charlotte woke up early. She glanced over and the clock read 5:45. Zoe was still sleeping, curled up in her arms. She just sighed, and closed her eyes again, trying to will herself back to sleep, since she knew she wasn't going anywhere just yet with a sleeping kid in her arms and a golden retriever curled in ball, half of his body lying on her leg.

She had to contain herself from jumping as the realization that the events of yesterday had actually happened, finally hit her. Cooper's friend had died, and they'd taken in a four year old and a golden retriever. The little girl would probably sleep all morning if Charlotte let her. As much as she knew Zoe needed it, she had some things to do, and one, well two of them involved making appointments for Zoe.

Zoe was snoring lightly and she knew the little blonde was still sound asleep. It was barely six, so Charlotte decided another hour of shut eye wasn't going to hurt anyone, since she knew it was going to be another long day. She had paperwork to finish up from the accident, and a young girl to take care of—none of which were easy tasks.

About two hours later, she woke up to a light touch on her shoulder, "Coop," she said, mid-yawn, her eyes adjusting to the early morning sunlight coming through the window.

"Hey, sleepyhead," he replied, rubbing her shoulder. "How was your night? How was Zoe?" He whispered, noticing the sleeping child in her arms.

She gave him a small smile, "She surprised me. She only woke up once around 1 AM. I think the combination of me holdin' her and the dog, helped."

"She could probably hear the dog's heartbeat when she was laying on him, and sometimes that can really calm kids down, so that's probably why she likes having you hold her," he replied. "And she feels safe when you hold her, so she fell asleep. She knew nothing bad was going to happen to her as long as you were holding her."

"I thought so too, but my back is killing me. I gotta stand up, but I don't want to move her," she sighed, looking down at the little girl who showed no signs of waking up. "Plus, I really have to go to the bathroom. I've been holding it for two hours."

"It'll be fine. She seems like she's sound asleep. Just move slow—no sudden movements. She'll settle back down."

Charlotte stood up and things started feeling better almost instantly. Cooper called for Buster to follow him so he could take him outside. Charlotte nodded when she realized what he was doing. She'd been around animals long enough to know she could take care of a dog. It wasn't too hard, even though he was a big dog. It made Zoe happy, and she knew it would be better for her to have the dog there. Once they moved into a bigger house, it would feel less cramped with her, Coop, Zoe, and the dog all crammed into the little one bedroom apartment. She looked at Zoe, who was still sleeping, and then disappeared into the bathroom.

Charlotte skillfully made herself a pot of coffee with one hand and checked her messages from her phone with the other. She figured she could reply to a few emails while Zoe was still asleep. She sat down on the couch and got through about five emails before the little girl started stirring.

She put the phone on the couch and walked back into the bedroom. She sat down on the bed and started rubbing Zoe's back, "Shhh, sweet pea."

The little girl relaxed and nestled back into Charlotte's arms at the touch. All she needed was some comfort, and some sleep.

Charlotte walked back into the living room, grabbed her phone, and made her way back to bedroom. Zoe slept better with her there, and it'd be easier to comfort the small child if she woke up again. She crawled into bed and Zoe attached herself to her side, immediately. Charlotte lifted her hand and started replying to more emails. She smiled when Cooper came back with Buster, looking like they'd been for a run. The dog was wagging his tail and panting, butting his head against Cooper's cheek, as he tried to take off the dog's leash.

"Want me to grab some files for you? There's a whole stack on the coffee table." He asked, opening up a water bottle and appearing in the doorway of the bedroom.

"Checking my emails right now, but if she doesn't wake up any time soon, yeah." Charlotte replied, smiling when the dog jumped back onto the bed and lied down on top of her feet. "He's better than slippers or socks." She laughed, stroking Zoe's hair. "How long do you think she'll sleep for?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, but sleeping is good for her."

"I wonder how long it'll take for her to get used to you. You haven't tried to hurt her or anythin', so hopefully, it'll be soon."

He nodded and sat on the chair in the corner of their bedroom. He didn't feel like walking over to the couch, and frankly, he missed Charlotte. He grabbed his Ipad and started checking his own email. After a few minutes of them working in silence, his head popped up. "Char."

"Yeah?" She replied, looking up from the email she was sending.

"I just got an email from Michael's lawyer, it says Michael's brother wants to petition for custody of Zoe."

Charlotte's heart sank. The little girl thought she was her mom already, and trusted her somewhat. Besides, if she was being completely honest with herself, she would say that she was growing attached to Zoe. "Seriously? I thought you said he didn't have a brother. And can he do that? I mean, Michael put you as her legal guardian."

"His brother just got out of jail. He called the lawyer after we took her home and is trying to petition for custody." He paused. "And my name is on the will. His brother isn't mentioned anywhere. I don't know if he can do that or how he's gonna win the case. The only thing is that he's Zoe's uncle—biologically. "

She sighed and looked down at the little girl in her arms. "She trusts me, Coop, and eventually she'll trust you." She swallowed. "Does the lawyer say what he was in jail for?"

"If I remember right, something with drugs or theft. He's always been a little questionable in his choices." He sighed, catching a glance at the little girl, still asleep in his wife's arms. He didn't want her going to live with Michael's brother, the man even gave him the creeps when they were younger.

She sighed, "There's gotta be a way we can fight this. I don't think that's the best situation for her. She's terrified, and she needs somebody who can give her what she needs to get better. I know what it's like livin' with someone who cares more about gettin' his or her next fix than takin' care of a child." She paused. "Plus, the girl's had enough changin' and movin' 'round. She needs time to adjust, not be uprooted all over again with someone we don't even know could provide for her—in the way she needs."

Cooper smiled, Charlotte had already turned into a protective mother, and wasn't going to let the little girl go. She was definitely going to fight this, he could tell. They were in agreement on this one. Her uncle was in no way going to win custody.

"I know. I'm emailing him back now. She's lucky they were brought to St. Ambrose, otherwise, she'd probably be stuck with the brother already," he replied, starting to type on the Ipad screen. "And if this goes to court, although she's only four, Zoe's opinion will influence the judge's decision. Plus we have the will, Tyler's lifestyle choices, and his incarceration record."

Charlotte just sighed, and continued to rub the little girl's back. "Oh, Coop, will you call Dr. Taylor for me?"

"Sure, I'm just gonna tell her what's going on and find out when she can see Zoe, right?" He asked.

She nodded. "The sooner it can happen, the better."

Cooper died the woman's phone number and explained the situation to the other pediatrician, carving out two hours in his afternoon schedule so they could work with Zoe. He looked up at her. "You alright here with Zoe? I have to get to the practice."

She smiled. "Go. I think I'm just gonna stay here with the little rugrat until her appointment. Let her sleep a little while long."

He got up, took a quick shower and gently kissed the top of Charlotte's head. "Love you, just call me when you're on your way."

"Love you too, Coop, hopefully she'll be awake by then," she said, glancing at the sleeping girl.

"It'll be fine. Dr. Taylor's great with the younger ones. Plus, she's got the right parts to deal with Zoe," he replied, slipping on his shoes.

"Let's hope Zo will cooperate," she replied. She smiled when Cooper stole another kiss and walked out the door, locking it behind him. She sighed and looked at Zoe. She wondered when Zoe would realize that Cooper wasn't the enemy. She missed her husband—it had only been one night, but she missed him. Now, with Zoe's uncle in the picture, she feared that Zoe would never have the time to get used to him.

**A/N: thanks for all the reviews and alerts! Sorry it's taken me a while to get the chapters up, I've been busy with school. I've already got chapter 10 written, so it won't take me very long to post it. If you have any ideas please let me know, I'm open to working with them. And thanks again to my cowriter for the help!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Charlotte and Cooper's Loft  
><strong>**11:30 AM**

Charlotte was standing at the bathroom counter, in her bathrobe, straightening her hair. One clump of hair just didn't want to get straight for her this morning. She looked down at the floor and smiled. Zoe was sitting against the counter, running her hand across Buster's blonde fur. "So Zoe, we're gonna take a little fieldtrip this afternoon."

Zoe looked up at the blonde and yawned. Her hand started to shake and she looked away again, staring into Buster's beady, black eyes.

"We're gonna go see Dr. Taylor. She's a pretty cool doctor, really nice too, and she's got some awesome toys you can play with. She has an office downtown." She put her straightener down, switched it off, and unplugged it. She ran a comb through her blonde locks and parted her hair. "Have you ever had a check-up—y'know, with a doctor?"

Zoe shook her head. "What's a check-up?"

She sighed and sat on the floor beside the little girl. "A check-up is when a doctor makes sure you're healthy."

"Oh," is all Zoe said, her eyes never leaving the dog.

"Dr. Taylor's a kid doctor, just like Dr. Freedman"

"Is—is—is—he gonna be there?" Zoe asked, her voice shaky.

She sighed. "It'll just be you, me, and Dr. Taylor." She paused. "Your appointment is at 1:30, so how about we get you dressed and I'll make you an early lunch?"

Zoe nodded. "Can I—can I use the potty first?"

She tucked a piece of the little girl's blonde hair behind her ear. "Of course, sweet pea. You don't have to ask." She stood up and held out her hand. "Go potty and I'll be in the bedroom, picking out an outfit for you to wear." She smiled and helped Zoe up. "Oh, you need toilet paper. I almost forgot." She opened the cabinet under the sink and grabbed a new roll. She unwrapped it and walked over to the toilet. She took off the empty roll and replaced it. She turned back to Zoe and sighed. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

Zoe looked down at the floor and then ran into the bedroom.

Charlotte walked out of the bathroom and looked around. She noticed the closet door was open, where it had been closed before. She padded over to it and opened it more. "Zoe, sweetie." She could hear the faint, muffled sobs coming from deep in the closet, behind all the shirts and dresses. She got on her knees and crawled into the closet. "Zoe, sweetie, it's ok." She pushed the shirts out of the way and slid closer to the cries. "It's ok. It was an accident. It's not a big deal." She reached for the little girl's hand. "Come on out and we'll get you cleaned up."

Zoe held onto Charlotte's hand, she was still shaking and tears were still streaming down her reddened cheeks. She took a shaky breath and swallowed. "It's o—o—ok?"

Charlotte nodded, offering the girl a sweet smile. "It's ok. It'll take me two minutes to clean up the mess. Accidents happen." She paused and brushed Zoe's hair off her wet cheeks. "Let's get you dry and in a pretty outfit." She crawled out of the closet and stretched. _I'm not as young as I used to be. _

The little girl emerged from the closet and stood up.

"Your suitcase is by the window. Go pick out somethin' you wanna wear, while I clean up the bathroom."

Zoe nodded and walked over to her suitcase.

Charlotte smiled and disappeared into the bathroom. She came back out after the bathroom floor was clean, and sat on the edge of the bed. "Let's see which outfit you picked out?" There weren't many to choose from.

Zoe walked over to her and held up a purple dress with a butterfly in the center. It was faded and there were a few small tears at the hem.

"That's very pretty, Zo." She paused. "Do you have to go potty?"

Zoe shook her head. "I—I got it all out."

"Ok. Let's get you dried off. That can't be too comfortable."

The little girl just shrugged, almost as if she was used to the feeling.

Charlotte and Zoe walked into the bathroom and a few minutes later, they reemerged, Zoe dressed in her purple dress, Buster trailing behind them. Charlotte pulled Zoe's hair into a ponytail and raked her fingers through it. "Sit tight, sweet pea. I'm just gonna get dressed and then I'll make you some lunch. I can't cook much, so you're gonna have to bear with me."

Zoe nodded and sat on the rug, Buster circling around her and then plopping down beside her.

Charlotte smiled. Zoe and that dog were inseparable. She walked into the bathroom and shut the door, her clothes already folded on the counter.

After lunch, grilled cheese sandwiches that actually turned out pretty good considering that was the first time Charlotte had ever made one, Zoe was sitting on the couch, petting Buster again.

Charlotte walked out of the kitchen and sat on the couch beside the little girl. "We should probably get goin', Zo."

Zoe stopped petting Buster and turned her head.

Charlotte smiled. "Dr. Taylor has Barbie dolls and if I remember correctly, she has a tea set too. There are coloring books and Seek-n-find books and all kinds of storybooks. The waiting room has crazy colors on the wall, a Lego table, and there are usually a lot of kids you can play with too. She gives out stickers and lollipops too if you're good," she said, trying to make it sound more appealing to the four year-old.

Zoe smiled.

"If there was a doctor like her or Dr. Cooper when I was a kid, I'd have loved goin' to the doctor," she said, still smiling at the little girl. "But it'll just be Dr. Taylor. I promise." She paused. "Go potty and then we'll head out."

The little girl nodded and slipped off the couch. She walked through the bedroom divider and into the bathroom, Buster following her.

"Buster," Charlotte called, and he came running, wagging his tail. He butted his head into her legs and barked. He jumped up, his front paws resting on her thighs, and barked again. "Down, boy," she said, scratching him between his ears. He jumped down and walked away, curling up in a ball on the rug.

Zoe came out of the bedroom, hugging her ratty, old, stuffed puppy, and looked at Charlotte.

"All good?" All she got was a nod and half a smile. "Ok, let's go." She looked at Buster. "Now, you be good, Buster. We'll be home later." The dog batted his tail against the floor and barked. "Glad we understand each other." She laughed and took Zoe's hand. "You ready, Zo?" Again, all she got was a nod. She sighed and walked over to the door. She grabbed her purse and draped her coat over her shoulder. She wasn't sure what the temperature was like outside. She unlocked the door and opened it. She turned back to the dog. "Be good," she warned again and she and Zoe walked out of the loft.

**Dr. Taylor's Office—the Waiting Room**

**1:25 PM**

Charlotte was sitting on a waiting room chair, reading a magazine. She had filled out all the information about Zoe she could, and now she was just waiting to be called back. She had texted Cooper to tell him that they had made it to the doctor's office in one piece and that Zoe seemed a little tense but she was somewhat calm. She told him about the incident that happened this morning, which only made both of them worry about the little girl more.

She leaned back on the chair and looked at Zoe, who was sitting next to her, swinging her legs up and down, hugging her ratty, stuffed dog. She smiled at the little girl. "Don't be nervous, Zo. Dr. Taylor is really great."

Zoe turned her head and offered Charlotte a shy smile. She looked around the room, taking in her new surroundings.

The door opened and a nurse in pink scrubs with Disney Princesses on it, walked out into the waiting room. She glanced at her clipboard and back into the room. "Zoe." She looked around, waiting for someone to stand up and follow her back. "Zoe," she repeated.

Charlotte turned her head and smiled. "That's us, sweetie."

Zoe started to shake and her eyes welled up with tears. "No."

"It's ok. I'll be there the whole time. Nothing bad's gonna happen in there—except for maybe a shot." Zoe just shook her head. "Please? It's okay. Dr. Taylor's really nice. She's nicer than me, even." She stood up and held out her hand. "If I'm wrong, we'll go out for ice cream afterwards, but if I'm right, we'll still go out for ice cream later." She laughed.

Zoe's shoulders dropped and she got off the chair. She slipped her fingers between Charlotte's and squeezed.

"Come on, Zo." She walked towards the nurse and smiled. They followed her back and the door shut behind them.

**Dr. Taylor's Office—Exam Room 2**

**2:00 PM**

Charlotte was sitting on a chair by the window, her legs crossed, watching Zoe as she petted her stuffed dog and looked around the bright white exam room. She had gotten her vision, hearing, height, and weight checked a few minutes ago, and now they were just waiting for the doctor. The first part of the checkup didn't go as smoothly as Charlotte had hoped it would, though. The beeping in the hearing headphones scared Zoe a tad, but Charlotte rubbed her shoulders, which calmed her down.

There was a knock on the door and then it opened. A petite woman with dusty blonde hair, more brown than blonde, walked into the room. She tilted her glasses and smiled at the little girl on the table. "Good afternoon. I'm Dr. Taylor, and you must be Zoe."

Zoe looked up, at the sound of the woman's voice, and nodded. She squirmed a little and hugged her dog tight against her.

Dr. Taylor looked at Charlotte. "Good afternoon, Dr. King."

"Good afternoon, Dr. Taylor." Charlotte smiled and stood up, walking over to Zoe.

"I hope no one had you waiting too long," Dr. Taylor said, sitting down on the wheelie stool by the door and pushing herself closer to the exam table.

Charlotte shook her head. "It wasn't too bad," she said, resting her hand on Zoe's shoulder.

Dr. Taylor looked at Zoe and then at the stuffed dog in her grasp. "Who's that, Zoe?"

The little girl looked up, hugging the stuffed puppy closer to her. "Polly," she answered, her eyes fixed on her feet.

"Well, nice to meet you, Polly." Dr. Taylor looked down at the chart she was holding—Zoe's. Cooper had got a hold of Zoe's records and had them faxed over to Dr. Taylor.

Charlotte leaned against the table and studied the doctor. "What is it, Dr. Taylor?"

She looked up and rested her palm on the folder. She looked at Zoe and smiled. "You've been to the hospital a lot, haven't you?" Zoe didn't as much as blink. Dr. Taylor looked at Charlotte. "I've got a ton of notes here from several doctors about fractures and other injuries—some noting that the injuries were days old by the time the doctors saw her."

Charlotte swallowed. "But kids are reckless. They fall down, bruise and break bones all the time, right?"

"That is true, but usually, kids don't end up in the ER eight times in one month," she said, looking back at Zoe, who was staying silent, her hands shaking a little.

"Eight times in one month?" Charlotte asked, not really believing Dr. Taylor's statement.

Dr. Taylor nodded. "Aside from that, her weight is also concerning. She's 40 inches tall and only twenty-four pounds." She looked at Zoe. "Would it be alright if I examined you?"

Zoe jerked back a little and looked at Charlotte.

"It's ok, Zo, you can let her examine you. That's why we're here. She's nice, right?"

Zoe nodded and held her dog close.

"I can examine Polly too if that will make you more comfortable. Everything I do to you, I'll do to her. Would that be ok?" Dr. Taylor asked, standing up. "I promise I don't bite. Little girls don't taste very good." That got a soft laugh out of Zoe. Dr. Taylor smiled. "At least one of my patients laughed. I've been doing that joke all day and I got not even one laugh. I thought I was losing my touch. Thank you for reminding me that I haven't." She smiled again and walked closer to Zoe. "I need you to lie back for me."

Charlotte switched places with Dr. Taylor and stood by Zoe's head. She brushed her hand across the little girl's forehead, smoothing back some loose hair that managed to come loose from her ponytail. "It's ok, Zo. Keep your eyes on me."

Dr. Taylor straightened Zoe's legs, laying them flat on the paper, and pushed up the gown a little, covering her with a towel.

The little girl tensed up as Dr. Taylor palpated her stomach and pressed down on her pelvic area. She let out a soft whimper and tears started to stream down her cheeks—without any warning. Her lips quivered and her eyes closed tight. She kicked her legs, knocking Dr. Taylor in the cheek and nose.

Charlotte's eyes widened. "Dr. Taylor, are you ok?"

Dr. Taylor nodded. "Wow, you've got a kick on you, girl." She touched her nose and rubbed her cheek. She sucked in air. "Ow."

"I'm so sorry," Charlotte said, and then turned back to Zoe, who was now curled up in a ball, shaking. She sighed and rubbed her shoulder. "Sweetie, it's okay. You're okay." Charlotte continued to lightly rub Zoe's shoulder and arm until she relaxed again. "There. Just relax, sweet pea. You're safe." She looked at Dr. Taylor. "You're bleeding." She pulled some paper towels from the holder by the sink and handed them to the doctor. "I guess Cooper didn't warn you?"

Dr. Taylor shook her head and pinched her nose. "Not really, no." She swallowed.

"Um, maybe we should just call it a day? You should put ice on that," Charlotte suggested.

She nodded and pulled the paper towel away from her nose, wincing a little. "Keep an eye on her weight. She's below the 5th percentile for her weight compared to the average for her height, which is considered underweight. Some kids are just naturally small for their age, but I'd still keep an eye on it."

Charlotte nodded. "I don't think she's one of those kids who are naturally small if you ask me, but I'll keep an eye on it." She paused. "I'm sorry about your nose. It doesn't look broken, so that's good. You might have a nasty black eye come tomorrow, though."

"Don't worry about it, Dr. King. I give shots to tiny humans. I've gotten bit, kicked, swat at, spat on, slapped, I've had blocks thrown at my head, nails dug into my skin—you name it. For little kids, going to the doctor can be a traumatic experience. I knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to become a pediatrician. I'm sure Dr. Freedman will tell you similar stories. It's ok. Ice is a beautiful thing."

Charlotte smiled. "Thank you for your time—however short it was." She looked at Zoe. "You still wanna go out to ice cream, kiddo?" Zoe just nodded and rubbed her eyes, hugging her stuffed puppy. Charlotte sighed. "Thank you again, Dr. Taylor."

Dr. Taylor smiled and walked over to the door. "Have a good rest of your day, Dr. King, and tell Dr. Freedman that I say hello."

"I will," Charlotte said, and then turned to Zoe.

Dr. Taylor opened the door. "Bye, Zoe, it was nice meeting you." She smiled and walked out of the room.

Charlotte heard the door click closed. She smoothed her hand over Zoe's blonde hair and smiled. "Sit up, sweet pea. Let's get you out of that itchy gown and into your purple dress. Then we'll get some ice cream." She walked over to the window and grabbed the dress from the chair. She untied Zoe's gown and brushed it off her shoulders, feeling Zoe shake underneath her hands. She pulled the dress over the little girl's head and tightened her ponytail. She put her flip flops on, they had fallen off, and lifted her up in the air, putting her down on the floor. "What flavor of ice cream are you gonna get?"

Zoe held the puppy by the arm and looked up at Charlotte. She wiped away some tears and sucked on her bottom lip. "Vanilla with rainbow sprinkles in a cup."

"Mmmm. That sounds good. I'm in the mood for a twist with Oreo crunchies in a cone." Charlotte smiled and they walked over to the door. She opened it and they filed out into the hallway. She picked her up and set her on her hip. She placed a soft kiss on her cheek and walked over to the counter. "Which sticker do you want, Zo? I like the funky zebra myself, but it's your sticker, your choice."

Zoe stared at the stickers, contemplating which one she liked best. There was the one Charlotte liked—the funky zebra with purple, pink, blue, white, and black stripes—then there was a frog with his tongue straightened out and a fly sitting on the tip, one with a kangaroo on a pogo stick, and another one with a koala bear high up in a tree. She smiled and pointed to the zebra.

Charlotte set her on the floor and took the sticker from the container. She peeled it off its backing and stuck it on Zoe's dress, smoothing it down. "Perfect." She paused. "Now, do you want a cherry, lime, grape, or lemon lollipop?"

"Green," Zoe said, looking at the sticker on her chest.

She smiled and grabbed a lime lollipop. She slipped it in her purse and looked at Zoe. "We'll save that for later, okay?" She took the little girl's hand and they walked out of the doctor's office. As they walked down the hallway, she checked her messages and read a text from Cooper: _How's it going? _She sighed and replied: _It was a disaster. Going out for ice cream now. I'll tell you about it later._ She felt her phone vibrate a minute later. She opened the message and read it as she pressed the button on the elevator: _I'm sure you handled it well. Love you. See you later. _She smiled and stepped onto the elevator, with Zoe sticking close by her.

**Charlotte and Cooper's Loft**

**4:00 PM **

Charlotte was in the kitchen eating celery sticks and peanut butter when she heard the familiar squeak of the door opening. She took a sip of her water and emerged from behind the partition. She smiled. "Hey, Coop."

Cooper walked over to her and greeted her with a soft kiss on her cheek. "Hey." He paused. "Where's Zo?"

Charlotte glanced at the bedroom. "She's passed out in the middle of the bed, curled up next to Buster."

He smiled. "So the appointment didn't go well?"

She shook her head and they walked over to the couch. She sat down and leaned against the armrest. She sighed. "She was somewhat relaxed in the lobby. She got a little freaked when the nurse called her name, but then she was calm again. The nurse took her height and weight, and checked her vision and hearing—you know, normal check-up stuff. She got scared with the beeps, but I guess that could be a little frightening if you've never heard 'em before." She paused and let out a breath.

He just nodded, listening.

"That wasn't the problem. She seemed ok with Dr. Taylor, she seemed a little scared, but I was there, and got her to relax a little. She was lying on her back and Dr. Taylor started the exam—pressing on her stomach and pelvic area—and then Zoe lost it. She kicked Dr. Taylor in the face, causing her nose to bleed. She was crying and shaking. We ended the appointment there. I didn't see the point in trying to continue after that."

He blinked. "Zoe kicked Dr. Taylor?"

She nodded. "Mmhmm." She paused. "She was fine when we went out to ice cream, though—she seemed more relaxed. She fell asleep on the drive home and I carried her into the bedroom. She's been sleeping since around 3:30."

Cooper smiled and pressed a kiss to his wife's lips. "You are truly amazing, you know that?"

She smiled. "I'm tryin'." She paused. "Going back to the doctor's appointment—Dr. Taylor noticed that her file is cluttered with notes from ER docs. She went to the hospital eight times in one month for fractures and other injuries. Plus she's forty inches tall and only twenty-four pounds, Coop."

He swallowed. "Oh, man."

"Exactly. This isn't an 'I think somethin' happened' thing anymore, this is now an 'I know somethin' happened' thing."

He nodded.

"Did you call the lawyer at all today?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I talked to the lawyer during my lunch break and he says that we have a pretty good case."

"Well, that's good." She paused and studied his face. "What aren't you sayin'?"

"Well Tony said that the brother has been out of prison for three months and has mandatory random drug tests—all of which have been clean since his release. He also said that Tyler has a good, steady paying job and lives by himself in a pretty decent sized apartment. Tony mentioned that Tyler used to babysit Zoe before he was arrested, so she has toys and clothes and stuff at his place. She's familiar with him. He also informed me that DNA is big with a judge in these cases—provided that the family member is able to take care of the child the way he or she needs to be." He paused. "I do not feel any better after talking to the lawyer. I pray that if we do go to court, which I'm thinking that's where this is headed, that Zoe says she wants to stay here."

Charlotte nodded slowly, trying to let the words sink in. "I'm worried too—I mean, I have no rights to her, so if she says she wants to stay with me, we're screwed. She has to want to stay with usor you 'cause _you_ are her legal guardian—not me."

Cooper nodded. "Uh-huh." He rubbed her foot, separating her toes a little and massaging deep into her sole. "I hope she gets used to me too so I can help you out. This is already taking a toll of you—I can tell."

She closed her eyes and jerked her foot a little. "I don't see that happenin' anytime soon, unfortunately." She sighed and turned her head towards the bedroom, watching Zoe sleep, being swallowed by their king-sized bed and the giant golden retriever next to her.

He smiled. "You've grown attached, haven't you?"

She nodded, turning back to face him. "I'm worried about her. She's hurting and scared. I just wanna help her—find out what is causing this. It's killing me not knowing. And I wish we had more time, but at this rate, we're gonna go to court in a few weeks, maybe a couple months, and she's gonna be livin' with her uncle. Regardless of if I'm attached or not, her uncle is not the best fit for her. I'm not sayin' we are, but movin' her again, changin' her life again, is not what's best for her."

He smiled wider and switched feet. "Like I said, you're amazing, truly amazing." He kissed the top of her foot and sucked on her big toe. He leaned back against the couch, glancing at Zoe and smiling. "Just keep doing what you're doing—establish a stronger rapport with her, and she'll open up to you eventually. You're doing all you can. You're doing great. And once she trusts you completely, maybe you can convince her, really convince her that I'm not such a bad guy."

She let out a breath and flipped her body around. She rested her head in his lap and bent her legs. She closed her eyes and ran her hand over his kneecap. "This sucks, Coop."

He stroked her hair, brushing his hand against her warm cheek. I know the feeling, Char—it's the same feeling I get with all my really sick patients—the feeling that you want to do more, but you can't."

She nodded and relaxed against him.

"Looking after a terrified, little girl is hard work, it's taking a lot out of you, but you're doing an amazing job with Zoe and you're helping her more than you realize." He ran his fingers through her hair and smoothed it over her ear. "I love you," he whispered.

She smiled and shifted a little. "I love you too, Coop." She paused. "It feels like we've been doin' this for a week, but it's only been a day and a half."

He nodded. "Yeah." He paused. "Shut your eyes and go to sleep. I'm sure you're exhausted," he said, sliding his hand down and rubbing her arm. "I'll wake you up if I hear Zoe."

"I hope you like the couch 'cause you're gonna be sleepin' here for a while."

He let out a dry chuckle. "My neck was a little stiff when I woke up this morning, but it's not the worst thing to sleep on—I've slept on worse."

"Now, I'm curious," she said, rolling onto her back and looking up at him.

He smiled. "Well, I slept on the floor in our bedroom when you pushed me out of bed—you know, that night I found out about your sexologist position at the practice?"

"I remember," she said, bitterly.

"Um, in college, I slept on a few tables and a few straight-backed chairs in the library while studying for finals and such. I used to go camping with my dad a lot when I was younger, so I've slept on a lot of rocky, hard grounds. I remember when I was ten, I climbed up a tree when I was mad at my parents—I slept on a branch for a few hours."

She laughed. "A branch?"

"Yep. This couch is definitely not the worst thing I've slept on."

She yawned and let her eyes fall shut. "I don't know what's gonna happen when I go back to work 'cause I'm certainly not quittin' my jobs for that little girl. I draw the line at that."

"No one is asking or expecting you to quit your jobs, Char. Maybe just take another couple days off, get her more settled, prepare her for school and stuff?"

She nodded. "I guess it won't kill me to take another two days off." She sat up and brushed her lips against his, putting all her weight behind the kiss. She pulled back and rested her head in his lap again. "I miss you."

He smiled and sighed, licking his lips. "I miss you too." He paused. "Let's enjoy the short time we have together now."

She closed her eyes and smiled.

"Go to sleep. We can still enjoy our time together even if you're asleep."

She fought back a yawn and was powerless against her exhaustion. She drifted off to sleep, with him stroking her hair.

**A/N: Well, the Easter bunny decided to leave you guys with a chapter! Haha , hope you guys enjoy this one. We're getting closer to figuring out what happened with Zoe. And I changed my twitter name to onlyprettier214. Thanks for reading, reviewing and alerting! And thanks again to my cowriter.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading, reviewing, and alerting this story. I'm glad y'all are liking this and there's definitely more to come as Charlotte and Cooper try to help Zoe and figure out what's wrong. School has been really busy for me lately, so I haven't had too much time to write, but I'll be done in 3 weeks. Keep reading, and enjoy this chapter! **

**Charlotte and Cooper's Loft  
><strong>**11:15 AM**

Zoe had been living with Charlotte and Cooper for a total of four days now, and the only thing that had changed was the number of nightmares she experienced at night—five, that was how many times she woke up last night, a new record.

Charlotte was in the kitchen making eggs and bacon when the little blonde wondered in. She turned around and smiled at Zoe. "Where are your clothes?" The little girl was standing there in only her pink panties. Charlotte turned off the burner for a minute, and walked into the bedroom with Zoe following close behind. "We really need to go shopping, sweet pea, but for now, here." She tossed her a pink dress. It had dried, washed-in stains on it, and a few holes in various places, but it was her only clean dress.

The front door opened and Cooper walked in, holding a paper bag under his arm and a plastic bag in his hand. "Zoe, can you come here, please."

Zoe straightened up and looked at Charlotte.

Charlotte took the little girl's hand and they walked out into the living room. "Coop, what?"

"Good morning to you too."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Sorry, I'm tired. What's in the bags?"

"I got bagels—not very exciting, I know—but this will be." He pulled out a hot pink dress with multicolored, abstract flowers all over it. It came with a matching headband and purse.

Zoe's eyes widened. "For me?"

"I don't think this dress will fit Charlotte, so yeah, for you."

Charlotte looked down at Zoe. "What do you say to Cooper, Zo?"

"Thanks," Zoe mumbled, not looking at him.

"You're welcome, Zo." Cooper smiled and put the outfit back into the plastic bag. He handed it to Charlotte, kissed her on the cheek, and then walked into the kitchen, putting the bagels on the counter.

"You wanna wear this today?" Charlotte asked.

Zoe nodded.

"We'll have to go get you some new outfits later—maybe we'll do that after your appointment with Dr. Patterson, but our little shopping spree will probably have to wait until the weekend." They walked into the bedroom and Charlotte got Zoe dressed. "Twirl for me."

Zoe turned around slowly, showing off her new dress.

"Beautiful. Now, let's go eat some breakfast." Charlotte fought back a yawn and the two of them walked into the kitchen.

**Dr. Patterson's Office  
><strong>**2:30 PM**

Charlotte was sitting on the blue, suede couch, which was against the back wall in the small playroom slash office. She was reading a magazine, occasionally looking up to watch Zoe play with the dolls she had chosen from the huge mound of toys available to her.

Dr. Patterson was sitting in a chair, watching Zoe play, also. She was observing, taking notes. "What's that doll's name, Zoe?"

"Eliza. She's a princess."

"I can tell. She has a crown and a pretty pink dress." Dr. Patterson paused. "Who's that—the doll that's hidden by those blocks?"

"Uh," she glanced at the doll, "that's Zabrina."

"Why is she hidden like that? Don't you want to play with her?"

Zoe nodded. "But she can't come out."

"Is she in trouble?"

Zoe nodded.

"What did she do?" Dr. Patterson inquired.

Zoe nervously fiddled with the doll in her hands and shifted on her legs.

"You can tell me what she did, Zoe. We're just talking—just you and me."

"She—she—she said a bad word on accident."

"What word did she say?"

Zoe hesitated at first, keeping silent, pulling on the doll's blonde hair. She glanced up at the doctor. "Crap."

"Did the princess block Zabrina in there like that?"

Zoe shook her head. "No. The princess isn't there."

"Where's the princess?"

Zoe shrugged. "Far, far away from here."

"I see." Dr. Patterson paused. "So who hid Zabrina like that?"

Zoe pursed her lips into a line and continued to play with the princess doll. "I have to go potty."

"We can take a break."

Zoe stood up and squirmed a little. "Where is it?"

"I'll show you." Dr. Patterson stood up and opened the door. She pointed down the hallway and smiled. "It's the big red door at the end. It's got a little dancing elf on it." Zoe disappeared out of the room and Dr. Patterson walked over to Charlotte, who had been intently listening to the conversation. "Given what you told me and Zoe's behavior, I'd say that Zabrina is a reflection of herself."

Charlotte nodded, closing the magazine. "The princess is probably Zoe's momma. She died during childbirth. Zoe never knew her."

"That makes sense." Dr. Patterson paused. "You mentioned that she's afraid of Dr. Freedman?"

Charlotte nodded. "I don't think it's just Cooper, I think it's men in general or at least her father, specifically. Every time I mentioned her father, her eyes would glass over with tears and she'd shake."

"That gives me an angle to work with." Dr. Patterson walked back over to the chair that she was sitting in before and scribbled something down on her notepad.

Zoe came into the room, shutting the door behind her, and walked back over to the rug. She picked up the princess doll again and combed through Eliza's hair.

Dr. Patterson turned her head and smiled. "So where's Zabrina's daddy?"

Zoe shuddered and chose to ignore the doctor. She started humming and continued to comb the doll's hair. Zoe dropped Eliza and pulled Zabrina out of the block house. She laid her down on the rug and grabbed a male doll from the bucket. She started pulling at Zabrina's hair and then put the male doll on top of her. A couple minutes later, she put Zabrina into her house of blocks, and went back to playing with Eliza.

Dr. Patterson blinked and looked at Charlotte, who was now on the edge of the couch, watching. "Who's that Zoe? Is that Zabrina's daddy?" Dr. Patterson asked.

Zoe shook her head and threw the male doll into the bucket. She looked at Charlotte, tears in her eyes, her body shaking. "I wanna go." She stood up and ran over to the door. "I wanna go—NOW!" She started screaming and kicking the door and trying to turn the knob, but her hands kept slipping.

Charlotte sprang up and walked over to the little girl. She scooped her up and held her close to her. She rubbed Zoe's back, trying to calm her down. "It's okay, sweet pea. We can go. You're okay." She opened the door and looked at Dr. Patterson. "I'll call you to try and set up some sort of schedule."

Dr. Patterson nodded. "Of course."

"Thank you for your time." Charlotte half smiled and carried Zoe down the hallway.

**Charlotte and Cooper's Loft  
><strong>**4:00 PM**

Charlotte was sitting on the couch, reading To Kill a Mockingbird to Zoe, even though the little girl was already asleep, curled up into a ball her head in Charlotte's lap. She ran her hand through Zoe's blonde hair as she continued to read softly. She felt her body sink farther and farther into the couch cushions, the words blurred on the page, her eyelids drooped, and her head began to bob. She swallowed and closed the book, folding down the corner of the page to keep her spot. She set the book on the side table and leaned back, closing her eyes.

She almost asleep when her phone beeped and the door to the loft swung open. She jolted awake and rubbed her eyes. She yawned and reached for her phone. She scrolled the message and cursed under her breath. She turned her head and Cooper was staring at her. "What?"

"How'd it go? With Dr. Patterson, I mean—that was today, right?" Cooper asked, walking towards her.

"Yes, that was today. I'll tell you about it later." Her phone beeped again and she sighed. "I don't have time right now. I have to get to the hospital."

"Wait, what? Right now?"

She nodded. "There's some emergency. Details are scarce." She carefully maneuvered herself, slipping out from under Zoe's head. She stood up and threw a blanket over the still sleeping girl. "You're gonna have to watch Zoe."

"Me? But she—."

Charlotte sighed. "I know, Coop." Her phone beeped again. "For Christ's sake, I'm goin'." She disappeared into the bathroom and walked back into the living room a few minutes later. "I really have to go." She paused. "Zoe had a rough afternoon, so she may not be sleeping for a while. I don't know when I'll be back. This may be your opportunity to show Zo that you're not a monster." She smiled, but he just looked at her. "I don't know what else to do, Coop. I can't take her with me. I have no idea what I'm about to walk into once I get to the hospital. Plus, if I'm bein' paged, that means it's big and I won't have time to watch her. Just stay here with her. If she's afraid of you, she'll lay in the corner with Buster the whole time."

Cooper nodded. "Ok. We'll be fine. Go to the hospital."

"I owe you—."

"You don't owe me a damn thing, Char. You've been taking care of Zoe for the past four days. I owe _you_ one." He smiled.

"Okay, I gotta go. Bye. Love you." She opened the door and walked out of the loft.

She was already halfway down the hallway when he said, "Love you too." He looked at Zoe and sighed. _This should be fun. _He watched Buster jump onto the couch and collapse into a giant ball of fur at Zoe's feet. He smiled and then he disappeared into the kitchen to make himself a late afternoon snack.


	12. Chapter 12

**Charlotte and Cooper's Loft**

Cooper dog-eared the page of the book Charlotte had been reading and set it on the coffee table. He picked up his iPad and sat down in a chair. He started to play a game while the little girl slept. He was afraid to turn on the TV because he didn't want to startle Zoe.

Almost an hour went by and she was still sleeping soundly. His phone made a quiet beep and he smiled when the name read Charlotte.

_Two attempted suicides, young girls. Should be okay, I'll be home in an hour or so. Dr. Peterson has it under control._

Cooper sighed. Suicide cases were always heart-wrenching, but two young girls? It was hard to stomach for a pediatrician or any person with heart. Between his thoughts about why these girls attempted suicide, he texted Charlotte back. _Alright, Zoe's still sleeping like a log. Everything's fine here…for now. _

_Good, will text you when I leave. Love you. Good luck with Zo, _she sent back, almost instantly.

_Love you too, _he sent back, and put the phone down, knowing she needed to work. He glanced at Zoe, who had shifted so her face was towards the back of the couch, and Buster was curled up very close to her feet. He just smiled, poor kid just needed a lot of rest.

He stepped out of the room to call Violet, but was close enough to hear Zoe if she were to start crying.

After two rings she picked up, _"Violet Turner—."_

"Hey, Vi, it's Cooper," he said, in case she didn't look at the caller ID.

"_Oh, hey, Coop. What's up?" _

"Charlotte hasn't told you what's been going on around here?" He asked, unsure if she'd said anything to Violet since being at the hospital.

"_She hasn't and either have you. Where the heck have you been?" _Violet replied.

"Well, Char and I have been busy with Zoe," he said.

"_She's the daughter of your friend who died, right?"_

"Yeah."

"_Again, I'm sorry about that, Coop—about your friend. And poor Zoe."_

Cooper nodded. "Char and I are both worried about her."

"_How's Zoe adjusting? How are you adjusting? How is, how is Charlotte adjusting?" _Violet asked.

Cooper contemplated telling her about the possible abuse, but decided not to before talking to Charlotte about it, since they've already got Zoe in with another counselor.

"Okay, considering. She's sleeping right now, but we were able to get her dog here and it's helping, a lot. I'm ok, she's, um, me and Char are adjusting to our new lives. It's getting easier." He was going to tell her that Zoe was afraid of him, but he knew Violet would start analyzing what he said and would figure it out. He decided to keep his mouth shut about everything for now. Though, his brain started to work. _If I say Zoe's afraid of me and Violet figures it out, I didn't technically tell her, right? I mean, Charlotte can't be mad at me for Violet doing her job and figuring it out on her own. _He thought for a couple seconds and then shook his head. _Who am I kidding? Charlotte would kill me. _

"_That's good. The dog gives her a sense of normalcy. She's in a strange place with strange people, the dog will help. It'll give her a piece of home. I've got to get to the hospital and evaluate some patients of Charlotte's. Call me later if you need anything,"_ she said, drawing Cooper back to the conversation.

"Will do," he replied, and hung up. _The girls that Char texted me about…_he thought, looking over at Zoe. _We're all ok, considering, _he repeats to himself.

He was taken from his thoughts when he heard slight whimpers coming from the living room. He sighed and tried to calm himself a little before going in to check on the four year-old. He knew the time would come when he had to comfort her. _Here we go, the first step._

He walked into the living room and saw Zoe clinging to the blanket and trembling. He sighed again, he knew it was probably better to not touch her, but the fatherly instincts he didn't realize he had, made him want to scoop up the trembling girl and cuddle her.

He placed a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder and whispered, "Shhh, Zoe. It's okay."

The little girl jumped at the sound of his voice, and Buster perked up, looking at her, reading to bark to hold off potential danger. Cooper sighed and took his hand away from Zoe's shoulder. He scratched between Buster's ears to let him know things were okay. "Down boy. No need to be Watchdog Buster, right now."

He started to hear some soft cries and sighed, he wished Zoe would realize he wasn't a monster so he could comfort her. So he sat on the coffee table and just continued to talk to her. "Zoe, it's Cooper. It's okay if you're scared, but I want you to know I won't hurt you."

The little girl just whimpered and moved so she was curled up into Buster. He heard the lock jiggle at the door and his wife's heels clicking on the floor. _Perfect timing, _he thought. He watched as she dumped a pile of file folders on the kitchen counter, shrugged off her coat, and dumped her purse on a chair.

She made her way over to him when she saw him kneeling down by the couch, and gave him a kiss. "How is she?"

He wrapped an arm around her. "Slept most of the time, just woke up and is kinda upset, as you can see."

"I've got this from here, Coop." She smiled, and switched places with him.

She bent down and sighed when she could hear the light sobs coming from the tiny girl buried in the dog's fur. She wondered for a second what things would be like if they weren't able to get the dog, and shuddered. She ran her fingers through the little girl's hair and whispered, "Shhh, Zoe, momma's home."

Zoe sighed, and perked up, turning her attention towards Charlotte's voice. Cooper was watching from the kitchen and smiled at Charlotte when she was able to get the little girl to calm down almost right away.

Charlotte wanted to cuddle the little girl just as much as Cooper but she knew that would take time, so she continued to rub Zoe's back and whisper quiet words in the child's ear.

The little girl stayed cuddled next to her dog, but eventually settled into a more relaxed position. Charlotte decided that a little TV wasn't going to hurt her, so she settled on the Disney channel, and made a mental note to buy some new movies.

Much to Charlotte's surprise, Zoe perked up, "I…. I'm not allowed to watch TV."

Charlotte sighed, and sat down next to Zoe, "Who said you can't watch TV? 'Cause here, you can. If you wanna watch TV, all ya have to do is say somethin'. Not all day and night, but a couple hours here and there, isn't gonna do any harm, sweetie."

Zoe nodded, and turned her attention to the TV. Charlotte got up, and grabbed the pile of work she'd brought home and asked Cooper to run and get her a latte, since she raced home to be with Zoe. He agreed, and quietly slipped out of the loft.

Charlotte made her way back to the couch with the files and a pen in hand, and sat down and started to work. She glanced over at the little girl and smiled when her attention was fixed on the talking platypus on the TV.

"Zoe?"

Zoe's head turned towards Charlotte, startled by the sudden calling of her name.

"You know, I wouldn't trust Cooper around you if I wasn't certain that he wasn't gonna hurt you. You know he's a kid doctor, right?"

Zoe nodded.

"Well, if he was such a bad guy, he wouldn't have any patients and he wouldn't be able to be a doctor." She knew that wasn't necessarily true of all men because some men don't get caught, but for her husband, she knew it was. "Do you like experiments?"

Zoe shrugged. "Like blowing stuff up?"

Charlotte laughed. "That is an experiment, but not the kind I'm talkin' 'bout." She paused. "I'll be here the whole time, but what if you, me, and Cooper watch a show when he gets back from gettin' me a latte? He'll sit next to me if you don't want him to sit next to you, but would that be ok?"

Zoe just stayed silent, turning her head towards the TV.

_Well, it was worth a shot, _Charlotte thought, sighing.

Thirty minutes later, Cooper came in with a latte and a bag from the toy store. Charlotte sighed, but she knew Zoe needed something eventually, better sooner rather than later. He handed her the coffee and she smiled, but gave him a questioning look when he showed her the bag.

"What'd you get?" She asked.

He pulled out a hand full of things, one of them was a soft fuzzy blanket, a coloring book and some crayons, a purple polka dotted dress, and a DVD of_ Cinderella _as well as a Cinderella Barbie. Charlotte smiled, "Our loft is gonna turn into a toy store."

He squeezed her shoulder, "We've got a four year-old, that's just what happens."

She smiled, took the blanket, and draped it over the little girl. He put the movie on the coffee table and brought everything else into their bedroom. Charlotte decided that since the next day was Saturday she was taking Zoe shopping, especially for clothes, and she was going to let her pick out some toys that she wanted.

Zoe shifted on the couch and turned her head, watching Cooper as he fiddled around in the bedroom.

Charlotte reached over and placed a friendly hand on her daughter's arm. "Zo?"

Zoe didn't answer, she just kept looking in Cooper's direction, watching him closely.

Cooper finished putting stuff away and came back out, Zoe quickly whipping around and pretending she was asleep. He raised an eyebrow as he approached the couch. He kissed the top of Charlotte head. "Um, what was that?"

She shrugged. "She was watching you." She rubbed Zoe's bare foot, which was poking out of the blanket Cooper had just bought for her.

"What are you thinking, Char? You've got your thinking face on."

"My thinking face?"

"You know, one of your eyebrows shoots up, your lips curve upwards, your eyes zone out. What are you thinking?"

"I don't think this is gonna get better unless we do something to make it better."

"Are you kicking me out of the apartment?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, you idiot." She paused, lowering her voice. She stood up, leaving the fake-sleeping child alone on the couch for a couple minutes. She took Cooper aside, standing by the bedroom screen. "We have to show Zoe that you're not a bad person. She'll never know that unless we show her. And I'm not talkin' 'bout actin' normal and hope she sees it. That's not gonna help. If she was bein' abused, her abuser may have acted all sweet and normal 'round her at first or 'round other people, and then showed her a different side of himself. And I'm not talkin' 'bout buyin' her stuff, bribin' her with toys and clothes and candy and ice cream, either."

"What are you saying?"

"The therapy may help, but that'll only get her talkin' 'bout what's botherin' her, it's not gonna fix how she feels 'bout men or you—not anytime soon. And this is gonna sound incredibly selfish and I know that, so save the lecture, but this separation, us sleepin' in separate rooms, doin' separate things all the time, it's not workin' for me. We're a team, we need to be a team. Zoe needs to learn that you're not gonna hurt her, we have to show her you're not a bad person."

"Charlotte, we can't force the kid to trust me. That takes time. If she was being abused, we don't know that yet, but if she was, this isn't gonna fix itself over night. This isn't about us, this is about that little girl. I miss you too, and I wish I could sleep in our bed at night and live our lives like we did before, but the bottom line is that our lives are different now, and until Zoe trusts me, until she feels comfortable around me _on her own_, we'll just have to live with this arrangement." He paused. "This is not about us," he repeated.

"I can't be here 24/7, Cooper. I have a job—two in fact. I can't babysit Zoe all day."

"Well, Charlotte—."

"And if you tell me that's what you do when you're a parent, I'm gonna slap you. I know that. Raisin' a kid isn't easy, but don't expect me to stop my whole entire life 'cause of this. Mothers don't put their lives on hold for their kids, unless they choose to. I didn't sign up—."

"And I did?"

"You're not here with the kid all day, Cooper. I am! I can't do this for the rest of my life—us living separate lives like this. I can't!"

Zoe opened her eyes on the couch, turning her face into the couch, letting out a soft whimper.

"Lower your voice." He paused. "I'm not here because me being here makes things worse."

Charlotte walked into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. "I—I can't believe I just said all that."

He sighed and joined her, resting his hand on her shoulder and rubbing it. "You're frustrated. This whole situation is frustrating."

She leaned against him. "I feel horrible." She touched her cheek, feeling a slight itch on her skin. She wiped her tears away and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Things will get better."

"When? I'm still waiting."

"I don't know when, sweetie, but they will." He paused. "Tell me your idea. How do you think we should handle this?" He asked, taking the conversation back to where it began.

"I asked Zoe if it would be ok if you just sat on the couch with me and her and watched TV."

"And what did she say?"

"She didn't answer me."

"Oh."

She nodded. "And I know this isn't gonna happen overnight, and therapy takes time to work, but I'm a person too. It is about Zoe and not me, but what am I supposed to do? Just abandon my needs all together?"

"It's not like I'm living across town, Char. I'm here. I'm just sleeping on the couch. We're together right now, we're together a lot. Maybe not as much as you and I are accustomed to, but your basic needs are being met—in regards to you and me."

"Now, you think I'm selfish. Great. You think I'm heartless. Fantastic."

"Did I say that? You're upset and frustrated and a little angry at me for putting you in this situation, but you're not selfish or heartless. You matter too, but the difference is that you're perfectly fine by yourself, you're strong, you can handle this, and you're an adult. Zoe is four years old, her father just died, and she's in this new place with these new people. She's adjusting."

"I know. I know all that. I wish there was something in between this—between us being how we were before and how it is now."

"Like I said, it'll get better. It'll take time, but it'll get better."

She sighed. "Maybe you should tell Violet—ask her what she thinks," she elaborated. "She knows more about this than we do."

He nodded. "I'll call her again later."

"Again?"

"I talked to her earlier—don't worry, I didn't tell her anything other than we were all doing okay, considering. I haven't talked to her in a while, so I'm sure she was dying for an update."

"Oh, okay." She paused. "Are you mad at me? I wish I could take back what I said, but I already said it."

"I'm not mad, but you need to grow up, Charlotte."

Charlotte looked away from him and sucked on her bottom lip. She blinked and swallowed.

"What? You disagree? You know better than I do when it comes to the psychological problems that come from being a vict—err—survivor of stuff like this. You need to grow up and focus on Zoe, not yourself. You're fine. Us being separated isn't going to damage you, Charlotte, but forcing Zoe to interact with me before she's ready, will damage her. Grow up. I said you aren't being selfish or heartless, but I was just being nice. That's exactly what you're being."

"Maybe it's better you're sleepin' on the couch 'cause you'd have ended up there anyway with that comment." She stood up and walked out into the living room. She knew he was right, partially, and she did feel guilty for opening her mouth, for even thinking about all that. _I'm just overtired and overstressed. I don't really mean that. I'd give my arm if that meant Zoe didn't have to hurt like this. It's just sleep deprivation, stress, and frustration. I thought Cooper understood, he did at first—then he just flipped a complete 180 degrees. Maybe he's right. Maybe frustration, exhaustion, and stress are just excuses. Maybe I'm selfish, maybe I'm heartless—nothin' I haven't heard before._

Charlotte sat on the couch and rubbed Zoe's foot. "Hey, sweet pea, you awake?" She heard the little girl's sobs from her position and could feel the slight quiver of Zoe's body under her hand. "You heard us, didn't you, sweetie?"

Zoe nodded.

Charlotte sighed. "I'm sorry, Zo." She slipped off the couch and ran her hand up and down Zoe's back. "You hungry? I'm usually hungry when I wake up from a nap."

Zoe turned her head and rubbed her eyes.

"I'm sorry you heard that, honey." She smiled. "What do you feel like?" She paused. "Do you like fruit? We've got every kind of fruit you could dream of."

Zoe nodded.

"What's your favorite? I bet we have it."

Zoe blinked and focused on Charlotte. "Pine needles."

"Ouch, those would hurt your throat if you tried to eat those. I think you mean pineapples."

Zoe nodded.

"Well, we've got pineapple, freshly sliced. We've got the rings too, if you prefer those. I'll get you a plate of both." She paused. "And whatever you heard, it's not true." She stood up and held out her hand. "I actually came home in the middle of a crisis, just so I could check on you," she said, glancing at Cooper, who was standing in the doorway of their bedroom. She glared at him and then looked back to Zoe. "Well, come on."

"I—I gotta go potty."

"Go right ahead, sweetie. You don't gotta announce it, just go. You know where the bathroom is."

Zoe pulled off the blanket and wrapped herself in it when she got off the couch.

"You look like a superhero." She smiled. "Go save the world, one flush at a time. I'll go get you your snack."

Zoe nodded and walked briskly back to the bathroom, keeping her distance from Cooper.

Charlotte held up her finger, sensing Cooper was about to speak. "No." She disappeared into the kitchen and opened the fridge. She heard the creak of the door as it opened and then the click as it closed again. She poked her head out and looked around. She sighed. _Great. _She went back over to the refrigerator to get a plate of pineapple prepared, praying that Cooper was just going out to clear his head, that he would be back later tonight.

**A/N: thanks again for reading, and all of the alerts and favorites. More coming soon. Let me know if you wanna see more with the twin girls, and what should come of Charlotte and Cooper's little argument. Follow me on twitter! Onlyprettier214**


	13. Chapter 13

**Two Days Later  
><strong>**Charlotte and Cooper's Loft**

They had finally gotten Zoe's things from her old home and Charlotte took her shopping for new clothes. Zoe was a little skeptical at first but warmed up to the idea of picking out new things fast.

Charlotte thought that since Zoe liked McDonalds the first time, another happy meal wouldn't hurt the tiny girl. Zoe seemed content in the familiar place and Charlotte decided to let her play in the play area for a while. Twenty minutes later, the little girl came out and tugged on Charlotte's pant leg, "I gotta go potty, momma."

Charlotte smiled. Zoe started calling her momma yesterday morning and it still surprised her every time the little girl said it. She took her little girl back to the restroom, and afterwards, she thought that it was time to go home.

When they returned to the loft, Zoe smiled when Buster greeted them at the door. Charlotte grabbed the new dog toy they had picked out, and gave it to Zoe, "Do you wanna give Buster his new toy?"

The little girl nodded and took the stuffed bone from Charlotte. She dangled it in front of the dog for a few seconds before tossing it to him. Charlotte laughed when the dog grabbed the toy in mid-air, causing Zoe to smile.

Cooper came out from the bedroom when he heard the squeaking of the dog toy, and smiled. He called for the dog to bring the toy to him, and kneeled down on the floor. Once he had the toy in his hands, he tossed it across the floor towards Charlotte.

Zoe was startled at first when Cooper came in the room, but giggled when Buster skidded across the floor so he wouldn't bang his head on the door, or run into Charlotte. Buster went back to Cooper, and dropped the toy, wagging his tail. Cooper tossed the toy a few more times, and each time, Zoe giggled as her dog tried to grab the toy as it slid across the floor. Charlotte smiled at him. Zoe was actually relaxed—that was new.

"Do you want a turn, Zo?" Cooper asked, offering her the toy.

The little girl looked at Charlotte and shuffled her feet. "It's alright sweet pea, Buster still wants to play."

Zoe stood still, frozen in between Cooper and Charlotte, unsure of what to do. Charlotte sighed, and went over by Cooper and kneeled down to take the toy from him. "Come here, kiddo," she said, smiling.

Zoe hesitantly made her way towards Charlotte and relaxed a little when a hand was placed on her shoulder. She took the toy from Charlotte and tossed it, only half as far as Cooper could, across the floor. Buster ran and got the toy, bringing it back to her. She started to pet the dog and giggled when it sniffed her forehead.

Cooper got up and walked into the bedroom, when he heard his phone ringing. Charlotte just continued to let Zoe play with Buster, it was something that relaxed her and that was what they wanted.

Cooper sighed when he saw the name on his caller ID, it was the lawyer. "Hello?" He answered.

"Hey, Dr. Freedman, how are things going?" The man asked.

"Pretty good. We finally got her stuff so it's much easier now, and the dog is helping a lot, but that's not really why you're calling," Cooper said.

"Michael's brother is really pressing for custody. We've set up a meeting with a family court judge in a few days. Since Zoe's only four, she doesn't have much say in this situation. At that young an age, she's not able to fully understand what's best for her."

Cooper sighed. "She's just getting comfortable living with us. All the progress we've made with her will disappear when she goes to live with his brother if that's what happens."

"I know. The judge may ask her where she wants to live, and if she says with you, that'll definitely help the situation, but again, a four year-old isn't old enough to know what's best for her," the man explained.

"Here's the problem, she's terrified of men. If we send her to live with her Uncle, she's not going to get any better. She's gotten used to me now, but it's my wife who's done the most, and is continuing to do so," Cooper said, lowering his voice.

"I'll send someone over from my LA office to meet with you before the hearing. I'll be in town on the date of the actual proceedings, which we will let you know exactly when that is soon," the man said.

Cooper sighed again. This was going to devastate Charlotte. She had already gone into mom mode, the girl was calling her momma for Pete's sake, and it was going to be hard to separate her and Zoe if that was what the judge felt was best for the child.

Cooper hung up the phone and went back into the living room, where Charlotte was still playing with Zoe and Buster. He didn't want to tell her yet because it might upset and confuse Zoe. He decided to let them play.

Charlotte looked up, "Who called?"

"The Lawyer. We'll talk later," he explained, looking down at Zoe and smiling.

Charlotte nodded. "This little one's gettin' tired out," she told him when the little girl cuddled up against the dog.

Cooper smiled, "Good thing we've got that dog."

"Yeah, now all we need is the yard for them to play in. That dog is ruinin' the floor." Charlotte smiled, and started rubbing Zoe's shoulder. "Kiddo, wanna go lie down for a nap?"

Zoe just shook her head, and curled up with Buster.

Charlotte pushed herself up and walked over to Cooper. "By the look on your face, the lawyer didn't just call for an update, did he?" She asked, when she was out of earshot.

Cooper shook his head. "No." He paused. "Her Uncle isn't dropping his request."

She sighed and looked down at Zoe. She crossed her arms over her chest and blinked. "How is that gonna work? At this point, someone's gonna have to tranquilize that girl to get her out of here. She's attached."

"She is or you are?"

"What difference does it make?"

He kissed the side of her head and wrapped his arm around her, squeezing her upper arm.

She grunted. "Just when things were startin' to get better, that son of a bitch has to show up and ruin everythin'. I thought not hearin' from the lawyer was a good thin', guess I was wrong."

He sighed.

She heard her phone ringing on the coffee table. She walked around Zoe, careful not to step of Buster's tail, and grabbed the cell phone. She looked down at the screen and read through the message. She turned her head and looked at Cooper. "Emergency at the hospital."

"Those two girls?"

She nodded. "I'll try to be home for dinner if I can."

"You're not just making this up to leave, are you? I mean, you're attached to Zoe and the idea of losing her is gonna kill you, so maybe you're just leaving so you can distance yourself from her to make this easier for you if she has to go live with her Uncle."

"Cooper, do you think before you speak? 'Cause that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

He nodded. "Yeah, that theory was a bit farfetched, wasn't it?"

She laughed. "Leave the theories to the professionals, Coop. You suck at 'em." She smiled and walked past him. She came back out and he kissed her on the cheek as she walked over to the door. "See ya later."

"Bye. Good luck. I'll try to think of a way to tell Zoe, but I'll let you do the telling."

"Oh, Gee, thanks."

"You want her to hate me more?"

She sighed. "No." She paused. "I have to go," she said before walking out of the loft and disappearing down the hallway.

**Three Days Later  
><strong>**Charlotte and Cooper's Loft**

Today was the dreaded court date. Charlotte let out a deep sigh when the alarm went off in the morning. She didn't want to get up, for all she knew this would be the last day she'd get to spend with the little girl she'd grown to love and care about.

She showered, got dressed, and forced a smile at Cooper when she noticed he was up and had coffee. "I'm not lookin' forward to this," she said, barely above a whisper.

"Neither am I, but we can't skip court or it won't look good," he said, sighing.

"I wasn't suggestin' we do that," she said, and then went to make Zoe's new favorite breakfast: pancakes. They weren't that hard after Cooper had shown her once or twice. She finished up in the kitchen and went to the little girl's room—well the little alcove they made out of the room partitions they bought.

The four year old was sound asleep in her bed, clutching the ratty stuffed dog she wouldn't replace with any of the new animals they'd gotten her.

Charlotte just watched her sleep, thinking about the look in Zoe's eyes when she had to tell her about her uncle fighting for custody. The little girl hid in the closet for over two hours, crying and shaking. It took a lot of coaxing to get her out of her hiding place. Charlotte had to hold her almost the entire night and when she had to go to work the next day, she had to pry the little girl's arms away. It broke Charlotte's heart because she had realized just how attached to the young girl she actually was, and standing here in the girl's bedroom, she was reminded of that.

She didn't have the heart to wake her. She wanted to let the little girl sleep because she knew it hadn't come easy for her since she moved in with Charlotte and Cooper. She sighed, giving up, and went to find Cooper. "I can't do it."

Cooper looked at her. "Can't do what?"

"Zoe's finally sleepin' peacefully and I don't wanna wake her up 'cause she'll be all sad and moody. How will it look if we show up to court with a moody, whiny kid?" She sighed, sitting by him at the table.

"We don't have to be at the courthouse for a while, let her sleep," he said, rubbing her shoulder.

"But I made her breakfast and I wanna spend some time with her before court. There's a possibility we won't get her back, Coop," she said, pouring a cup of coffee.

He continued rubbing her shoulder. "It'll be alright. Let's give her our numbers, and that way if something happens, or if she wants to talk to you, she'll have it."

"Mmmk. We'll give her the number to the practice too. Just in case we're not there. Addison, Violet, or Amelia can talk to her until they can get a hold of me," Charlotte suggested.

Cooper nodded and decided he was hungry, so he began preparing himself a plate of pancakes.

"Those are for Zoe," she told him, slapping his hand away.

"I'll make her some fresh ones when she wakes up. It's not a big deal."

Charlotte nodded, glanced at her watch, and then at Cooper. She let out a sigh and walked into the little girl's room.

This time she was able to get the child up, and dressed without much of a fight or her heart getting in the way. Breakfast went rather smoothly because Zoe was finally starting to warm up to Cooper, especially if he fed her. She was like a dog that way. The child had decided that he wasn't such a bad guy after all if he gave her food—actually edible, delicious food. She even smiled at him when he gave her pancakes, since he was the first one to ever do so.

This was the first time Charlotte had seen this reaction from Zoe and she smiled at her husband, knowing they had made progress.

A little after breakfast, they finally made their way out the door. With the best of her ability, Charlotte had explained to Zoe where they were going and what was happening. This had upset Zoe, and she said she wanted to sit in the backseat with her mom.

Cooper sighed, he knew that would cause some issues if Zoe called Charlotte her mom in the court room, but he knew it was unavoidable.

**11:30 AM  
><strong>**Courthouse**

They reached the courthouse and were told which courtroom to go to for the custody hearing. Charlotte carried Zoe, partly because the child wouldn't let go of her and partly because Charlotte decided it was safer.

They got inside and the judge started the trial, with both Charlotte and Cooper's attorney and Tyler's attorney explaining the situation. Charlotte still held the young girl, who was trembling in her arms upon the mentions of her father. The blonde doctor did the best she could to calm the little girl, without making too much of a scene. She was told that Zoe was supposed to stay outside with someone during the proceedings, but it would take the Jaws of Life to separate Zoe from Charlotte.

"We'll take a 30 minute recess. The verdict of Zoe's custody will be announced after lunch," the older man said, banging his gavel.

**A/N: Thanks to everybody who's read/reviewed/alerted/favorited. Your ideas are welcomed and will be taken into consideration! What do you want to see happen to Zoe? Let me know! And thanks to my co writer for helping me out with this! I'm on twitter: onlyprettier214**


	14. Chapter 14

**11:45 AM**

**Courthouse**

Charlotte was sitting on the step outside the courthouse, leaning forward slightly on her legs, her head tilted down, her hands clasped together. She took in a shaky breath, lifting her head and opening her eyes. "Coop, I have a bad feelin' about this."

Cooper turned his body towards her and brushed her hair out of her face. He pressed his lips against her soft forehead and wiped away the few tears that had fallen. "I'm not worried. A custody case between an ex-con and two doctors? Please, Charlotte, Zoe's ours."

She sighed and glanced at her watch. She blinked away her tears and rested her hand on his knee. "As strong as our case is, I just—my gut is tellin' me we're about to lose her, Coop."

He placed his hand on top of hers and kissed the side of her head.

"And my gut is never wrong," she added.

"It is today." He stood up and held out his hand. "Come on, sweetie."

She let out a breath as she got to her feet. She took his hand and squeezed it. "I don't even wanna go in there."

"We have to."

She nodded. "I know." She took a few steps closer to the double doors, but stopped.

"Char?"

She shook her head and continued into the courthouse. She stayed silent as they stood in their spots again.

He held her hand and leaned in close. "It's gonna be okay. Either way, it's gonna be okay," he whispered.

The judge banged his gavel to signal court was back in session. Everyone took their seats as he began. "I've weighed both sides and took Zoe's choice into consideration when making this decision." He took a long pause, the courtroom completely quiet. You could almost hear the harmony of nervous heartbeats in the room—that was how quiet it was in there as the judge read the verdict. "Custody of Ms. Zoe Baker is hereby granted to Mr. Tyler Baker, affected immediately." He banged his gavel. "Court dismissed."

Charlotte jerked her shoulders forward and put her head in her hands.

Cooper blinked and rubbed her back. "Sweetie—."

She popped her head up. "You said everything would be okay! I told you my gut's never wrong. I told you!"

He pulled her into him and wrapped his arms around her. He rested his chin on the top of her head and slid his hand up and down her back. "It will be okay. We still have each other. I'm not going anywhere." He was attached to Zoe, but he knew that Charlotte was even more attached to the little girl. After all, she did spend the most time with her.

Zoe bolted through the door and ran down the aisle. "Momma!"

Charlotte swallowed and separated from Cooper. She looked at the little girl and her heart broke into a million little pieces, seeing the fat, crocodile tears streaming down her face. "You have our numbers, Zo. You can call us whenever you want, day or night." She gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the top of her head. She wiped away the girl's tears and smiled, trying to hide the fact that she was hurt.

"Zoe, come here now," Tyler ordered.

Zoe didn't move. She looked at Charlotte and pouted her lips. "Why can't I stay with you? Don't you want me?"

"I'd give anythin' to have you stay with us, sweet pea, but the judge said you had to stay with your uncle." She paused. "We're gonna miss you a ton."

"Zoe, now!"

Zoe swallowed and ran over to her uncle.

Charlotte waved and collapsed into Cooper as soon as the doors clicked shut. "Biology and familiarity—that's the only reason why she's goin' home with _him_ instead of us."

"Let's get out of here."

She stood up and rubbed her eyes. "This is all your fault, y'know?"

"How is this all my fault?"

"It's your fault that I got attached so quickly."

He laughed. "That's all on you, sweetie. You've got a big heart which is one of the reasons I love you so much." He kissed her on the lips and hooked his arm around her. "Let's take a drive. We won't stop until we need to."

She leaned against him. "What's gonna happen to her?"

"I hope she'll be happy, but I still wish she was with us."

She nodded. "Me too."

"Is it wrong that I wish something bad will happen to her, so we'll be granted custody?"

"If it is, we're both goin' to Hell." She looped her arm around his back and sighed. "But maybe we thought he was a bad guy 'cause we wanted Zoe for ourselves. The judge obviously saw somethin' in him, somethin' that makes him a better parent than you or me. Maybe we were too close to the situation to realize that the judge might be right. We've known Zoe for what, two weeks? Tyler's known her for her entire life."

"You don't believe anything you just said, do you?"

She laughed. "You know me too well."

He opened the door and they walked out into the hallway.

"Dr. Freedman, wait!" His lawyer ran to catch up to them. "I'm so sorry we lost the case. I was so sure we would win."

Cooper sighed. "I'm sorry too."

"If this makes you feel any better, a social worker is required to check up on Zoe, twice a month, for the next year. These visits are unannounced and completely random."

He nodded. "That makes us feel a little better."

"I'm so sorry. I really thought this case was a slam dunk."

"You win some, you lose some," Charlotte said, pretending she was okay with this, though she was still pissed and upset. "Come on, Coop."

"Enjoy the rest of your day if you can," the lawyer said, walking in the opposite direction.

She sighed, her shoulders dropping. "I'm even gonna miss the dog."

He laughed. "Me too, Char, me too." He closed his eyes for a second and then they walked out of the courthouse.

**A/N: just a short little chapter written by my cowriter. I promise this isn't over yet. More drama to come. **


	15. Chapter 15

**TYLER'S HOUSE**

**A FEW DAYS LATER**

Things were quiet for the first couple of days Zoe was with her uncle. She missed the woman she'd started to call momma, and she even missed Cooper, well she mainly missed his pancakes.

Zoe was curled up next to Buster when her uncle came in. She tensed up when her dog let out a bark. She opened her eyes and noticed that her uncle couldn't really walk in a straight line and his words weren't making sense. She was used to this behavior. Her dad was famous for it. She clung to Buster and wished her uncle wouldn't see her. Buster sniffed Zoe, smelling urine on the little girl. He nuzzled his head into the crook of her neck and licked her. He knew just how to keep her calm.

Zoe's plan of hiding on Buster didn't exactly work. She heard footsteps coming closer, closer, closer, and then she felt the tip of a boot against her hand. She felt her finger get crushed under the hard, rubber sole, and then she was hoisted into the air, which only caused the dog to bark and growl.

"You can't sleep with the damn dog," Tyler shouted.

Zoe couldn't understand why she was being yelled at. She never understood it. Cooper never yelled at her. She missed him.

Tyler slapped her across the cheek and she struggled to get away. "Not so fast!" He balled his hand into a fist and punched her square in the jaw.

Zoe fell to the floor, cowering under her uncle's fists. She reached her hand up. "Sto—op." Tears flooded her eyes and her body trembled.

He held her shoulder down with one hand and slid the other hand down the side of her body. He yanked at her skirt, ripping it. He slipped his hand up, pressing his thumb into her inner thigh. He let out a deep throated laugh and pulled on her panties. "I'll stop when I wanna stop. Just be glad your daddy ain't here to watch. He always got a kick out of this."

Zoe squirmed, clawing at his arm.

He hit her in the stomach, hard, his knuckles imprinted into her skin.

Her bottom lip quivered and now she was crying—loud sobs and all.

He threw her arm back and pulled up on her shoulder, dislocating it. "Shut up! That don't hurt." He slapped her across the face again and ran his hand up and down her inner thigh, moaning softly to himself. "Hush little baby, don't you cry, your daddy won't save you and either will I." He walked out of the room and slammed the door.

Zoe opened her eyes, feeling Buster's nose nudge her. He licked the blood from her cheek and butted his head against her arm. She suddenly remembered that her momma had given her some phone numbers. She had three different ones, but wasn't sure which one would make her momma answer. She looked around and saw a phone sitting on the table. She sucked back snot and sat up. She cringed, tears falling from her eyes. She was shaking, but managed to grab the phone.

Buster got up and scratched at the door.

"Buster, shhh."

Buster whimpered and walked back over to her, curling into a ball on the floor.

She felt her pockets and pulled out the small card. Her momma told her to keep it with her at all times, so she did. She couldn't read yet, but her momma had walked her through the numbers, step-by-step. "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe—." She decided to call the first number, but she couldn't remember which one that was. It just kept ringing and ringing and finally a woman's voice came on saying that no one was there, and to leave a message after the beep. Zoe hung up and started to cry more. Where was her momma? She didn't understand.

She then saw that there were three numbers written next to the first one, and she decided to try those next. She just wanted her momma. Her shoulder and her tummy really hurt. She hit the numbers on the phone and it rang twice. She got a woman's voice again, but it was different. She listened. "9-1-1, what is your emergency?"

She just cried, this lady wasn't her momma either, and she didn't know what to say. She thought that the lady would know where her momma was. She had to know, right? "I…I want my momma," she cried.

At first, the 9-1-1 operator thought it was some sort of prank, she got those calls all the time, but she listened for a few minutes. She heard sobs, and when the tracking came up on the computer, she knew this wasn't a prank call. The little girl was in the bad part of town. "Where are you, sweetie," the woman asked.

Zoe looked around. "In a room. I dunno where my momma is." Zoe cried, clinging to Buster's warm, blonde fur.

The woman became increasingly worried for the young girl. The area where it was showing the call had been made from was where a few drug busts had been made in the last week. "Do you know your mommy's name?"

Zoe was confused, she'd really only called Charlotte momma, and wasn't sure what her real name was. She thought about saying Cooper was her dad, but wasn't sure if that would help. She tried to think about what Cooper had called her momma, but she couldn't remember. "Momma?"

The woman let out a small laugh. This gave her an idea of the child's age. She couldn't be more than three or four since she didn't know that her mom had another name besides mommy or momma. The woman decided on a different approach, "What's your name?"

"Zoe," the little blond replied.

"Alright Zoe, did something bad happen," the woman asked. She needed to know if she should send officers out.

Before the child could answer, Tyler came back in. "Who are you talking to?" His voice was louder now and he seemed clumsier. He knocked the phone out of his niece's hand. "Those the cops? Huh? Answer me, you little snot!"

Zoe shook her head. "I don't know."

He slapped her and grinded his boot tip into her back. He pushed her, stepping on the dog's tail. "Get outta here. Shoo." He slammed her head against the floor over and over. He kicked her again and yanked on her hair. "Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!" He shouted and twitched. He looked around and suddenly became a little paranoid. He got up, kicked her one last time, and fled from the house.

The police arrived several minutes later, and banged on the door, "LAPD—OPEN UP!" A male voice shouted.

Zoe could barely hear the shouting and wondered what LAPD meant. She'd heard sirens so she thought she was in trouble.

The man's voice was new and scary. He wasn't her uncle or Cooper. She stayed put and continued to cry as Buster barked and barked at the officers. They finally busted down the door after a couple minutes of incessant dog barking. They were greeted by the golden retriever. The officer tried to calm the dog, patting him on the head. "Where's Zoe, boy," he asked the dog. He knew he looked incredible silly, but maybe, just maybe, the dog would lead them to the girl.

The dog was smart. He understood the question and barked, running off to the bedroom where Tyler had dragged her earlier. He continued barking so that the officers could follow him. One of the officers petted him when they got inside the bedroom, "Good boy," he said and Buster just wagged his tail.

Luckily, there was a female officer in the bunch so she approached the crying noises she heard on the other side of the room. She found the little girl hiding on the side of the bed.

The female officer knelt down next to Zoe and smiled. "Hi, I'm Tracy, and I'm a police officer. Can you tell me your name?" The woman asked. She showed Zoe the badge and handed it to her. "It's real."

Zoe looked confused. She took the badge and ran her bruised fingers over it. She didn't even know she called the police. "Zo—Zo—Zoe," she stuttered.

"Can you tell me what happened," the redheaded woman asked.

Zoe whimpered, she just wanted Charlotte, and some pancakes, she was really hungry. "I dunno where my momma is."

"We can help you find her, but I can tell that your shoulder looks like it hurts. We can take you to get it fixed." The woman explained.

Zoe thought for a minute. She first found her momma at the place they took her after the accident. Her fingers had been hurt and Cooper fixed them. So maybe if they took her there, her momma would find her. She didn't know how to explain this to the woman, so she just nodded.

"The ambulance is here, Tracy," the man said.

Tracy nodded. "All clear. Send them in."

The EMTs walked through the living room with a stretcher and with Tracy's help, they got Zoe up onto it, strapping her in and securing her arm across her stomach. Tracy smiled. "I'm gonna go with you if that's ok, Zoe?"

Zoe nodded and the next thing she knew she was being taken through the house and loaded into the back of an ambulance, with some strange woman holding her hand as they drove away.

Zoe was rushed to the hospital and unloaded from the ambulance.

The EMTs pushed her through the ER doors, where they were met by Pete. "What do we have here?"

"Four year-old girl with multiple external injuries. Her shoulder appears to be dislocated," one of the EMTs explained. "She wouldn't let me examine her."

"Did you two bozos get a name at least?"

"Zoe. There was a 9-1-1 call from her place. She kept saying she wanted her momma, and that she didn't know where her momma was," Tracy explained to him.

Pete looked at the young girl. She looked way too familiar. Why she looked like Charlotte, he couldn't figure out. He watched as the nurses set up an IV on the child and started taking her vital signs. His first order of business was to pop her shoulder back into place. Once the nurses had given her some medicine, he gently put his hands on the child's arm and explained he was going to move her shoulder so it wouldn't hurt as bad. The child screamed and yanked away from him. "Zoe, I need to put your shoulder back in."

"No." She didn't know this man. She wasn't about to let him touch her.

Pete sighed. "I can make you feel better. I'll count to three and then you'll feel a lot better."

Zoe hesitated and nodded. She did want to feel better.

Pete smiled. "Ok. Ready?"

Zoe nodded.

"One, two—." Pete popped the shoulder into place. "Three."

Zoe screeched, tears streaming down her cheeks. The medicine was good, but it wasn't that good.

Charlotte was not happy about getting called to the ER at three AM, but she always got called for domestic violence cases. She was greeted by Pete outside of a patient room and was informed of the information. "You're telling me the kid looks like me," she asked, shocked by what Pete had to say.

"Yeah. She won't say who her mom is, and she's completely terrified, and we can't find any family." He paused. "You sure you don't have a kid that nobody knows about?"

Charlotte glared at him. "I'm sure."

"Since you're here, would you mind going to see her?"

"You do know Cooper's the pediatrician, right? Not me. He's the one who deals with the rugrats."

Pete nodded. "I'm aware of that, Charlotte." He paused. "She's got blood in her urine. Just go check on her, please."

"Fine. I'll go see her," Charlotte replied and grudgingly walked into the room. Her heart sank to her feet when she saw the little blonde crying on the hospital bed.

Pete looked at her. "Dr. King?"

"Don't you know who she is?"

"Wait, is she—," Pete asked, instantly remembering the custody case his friends had lost a few days ago.

"Mmhmm. Now, do you see why we were fighting for custody?"

"I do."

Charlotte approached the bed and brushed some hair away from the child's face, "Zoe," she quietly said.

"MOMMA," the little girl screamed, looking up at Charlotte.

Tracy was shocked. She wasn't sure if the little girl was confused or if this woman was really her mother. If this woman was her mother, where was she when the little girl was hurt? She definitely had some questions that needed to be answered.

**A/N: I wasn't gonna let Zoe be away from Charlotte and Cooper for too long. What would you guys like to see happen next? Review and let me know! Thanks to my cowriter for helping me with this! This story wouldn't be as awesome as it is with out it haha. Thanks to my readers and reviewers! I'm on twitter: onlyprettier214**


	16. Chapter 16

**ST. AMBROSE HOSPITAL ER**

**3:45AM**

Charlotte didn't think her heart could sink any lower than it did when Zoe screamed. She gently stroked the little girl's hair. "Shhh, sweet pea, it's gonna be okay."

Zoe continued to cry. She wanted her stuffed dog, but her uncle Tyler had hid it somewhere and she couldn't find it, and she didn't know if she'd ever get the toy back.

One of the nurses came up to Charlotte when she realized that the woman was actually able to get close enough to the little girl to try to calm her. "Dr. King, we haven't been able to get any monitors hooked up to her. She won't let anyone touch her. She barely let Dr. Wilder pop her shoulder back into place," the brunette explained.

Charlotte sighed. "Let me try. It might take me a little longer than normal, but eventually, we'll get her all hooked up," she said, with a slight smile.

The brunette nodded and went to get the equipment Charlotte needed to hook up the monitors to Zoe.

The woman came back and then stepped back, leaving Charlotte with the task of hooking Zoe up. She looked at Zoe, who looked completely terrified. She remembered the last time the young girl was in her hospital. They didn't need to put any monitors on her then, so she'd probably never seen them before.

She gently kissed the top of the little girl's head. "Sweet pea, momma's gonna put some stickers on your chest. I wanna see how good your heart is workin'. Is that ok?"

Zoe trembled and hesitantly nodded. She knew her mom wouldn't hurt her, she never had before.

Charlotte smiled and started to gently lift Zoe's gown. She told Zoe exactly when she was putting a sticker down, so it wouldn't startle her as much. Once she finished, the nurse handed her a set of wires.

Zoe tensed up and shook her head no.

"Sweetie, these aren't gonna hurt you. See that TV screen up there. It's gonna start makin' a beepin' noise to show momma how fast your heart is beatin'," Charlotte explained.

Zoe looked up to the small screen and nodded, slower than before.

Charlotte hooked up the wires to the stickers and pulled Zoe's gown back to where it was.

Zoe whimpered a few times as the monitor picked up her heart rate, so Charlotte rubbed her shoulder, "I know it can be a little scary, but it's nothin that's gonna hurt you."

The young girl tried to lean on Charlotte, but her shoulder hurt too much. She whimpered and started to cry. The woman knew they needed to get her in to have CT scans done of her head and abdomen, but there was no way that was going to happen while she was awake.

"Can momma talk to nurse Brittney for a minute outside? I'll stand where you can still see me," she asked. She wanted to have Zoe sedated so they could do the scans. She prayed that the little girl wasn't sexually assaulted, but part of her wanted Addison to check things out anyways.

Zoe had tears streaming down her face, stinging her bruised cheeks, but she still got a kiss on the top of her head from her mom. She didn't get it. Why was this woman so nice, and her uncle so mean? Her momma was trying to fix her up, but her uncle just didn't care about her. The child eventually nodded and Charlotte met the brunette nurse outside of the hospital room.

"I know she needs CT scans done, but there's no way on Earth we'll get good images with her awake," the blonde doctor told the woman.

"We could sedate her, and it'll give her time to rest. They usually sedate smaller kids anyway because they scare so easily and move around too much because they don't understand fully what's going on."

Charlotte nodded. She knew that, her brain was just so frazzled that she wasn't thinking clearly_. _"I was thinking that. She might not drink any liquid meds, so can you put something in her IV," Charlotte asked.

"Sure." The nurse sighed. "I hate to ask, but is she really your daughter?"

Charlotte sighed. She knew the question would come sooner or later. "She's my husband's best friend's little girl." _Wow, that's a mouthful. _"He died in that pileup about a few weeks back. We got custody, but her uncle won the custody case when it went to court. This has her uncle written all over it."

The nurse sighed, "I'm sorry, but hopefully she'll get to stay with you this time."

"I hope so too, but let's focus on making sure she's alright. Let's get her sedated and get those scans done. Depending on what they show, I might keep her here a day or two," the blonde woman replied, glancing in at the child she'd grown to love.

"Okay. I'll be right back with the medicine." The nurse smiled, and walked off.

As the nurse walked away, Addison walked through the hallway. She saw Charlotte leaning up against the wall. "Charlotte?" The redheaded woman walked closer to the blonde and raised an eyebrow, surprised to see her there.

"Montgomery? I thought you had the night off," Charlotte asked, just as surprised.

"I did, but one of my patients went into labor a few days early. Everything went smoothly though," Addison explained, glancing in at the child crying in the hospital bed. She noticed that Charlotte looked stressed and worried. "Who's this blonde cutie?"

"Are you and Pete both blind? Hadn't you noticed that Coop and I had a four year old and a golden retriever for a couple weeks and then suddenly we don't? We lost her after a dumb judge decided her druggie of an uncle was a better parent than two doctors." Charlotte snapped.

Addison sighed, "Oh. What happened to her?"

"I don't know. Pete paged me because I'm always called for these sorts of cases. Her shoulder was dislocated, and she's covered in bruises. We're about to sedate her so we can take her for a CT," Charlotte explained, glancing in the room at the little blonde.

"I'm sorry, Charlotte. Let me know if you need any help with her," the redheaded doctor replied, glancing in the room as well.

Charlotte held out her hand and stopped Addison before she left. "Um, there is one thing I need from you."

"What?"

Charlotte took a deep breath in and let it out, slumping against the wall more. "I don't think this was a sexual assault, but, um, could you just check," Charlotte hesitantly asked. She feared the results that would come from Addison's exam, and she didn't want to put Zoe through any more trauma. It was bad enough going through it herself , but a child, she couldn't imagine.

"Sure. Just page me when you're ready. Do you want me to call Cooper," Addison asked.

"Not yet. I'm gonna wait until after her CT. Hopefully everything will be clear and we can take her home in a day or so," the blonde doctor answered, and smiled when the nurse came back with the medicine for Zoe.

Charlotte followed the brunette back into the room and Zoe's eyes lit up when she saw the blonde. Charlotte stood by her bedside and brushed the matted curls away from her face. "Nurse Brittney is gonna give you a little medicine to make you go to sleep. You'll be feelin' a little better when you wake up."

The child watched in fear as the nurse added the sedative to her IV, but as Charlotte continued to stroke her hair, she grew tired.

Charlotte explained that she was going to lean the bed back some so the girl could sleep, and helped her get situated once the bed was lowered.

Zoe fought the sleep. She was scared that her momma wouldn't be there when she woke up, but Charlotte kept running her fingers through the matted curls. "Just close your eyes, sweet pea. I'll be here when you wake up."

After a few more minutes, the little girl finally succumbed to sleep and Charlotte covered her up. She had Brittney call the nurse that was working radiology, to get the room set up for Zoe, and she let the nurse push the little girl's bed bed to the room.

This was one of the times Charlotte was glad she ran the hospital. She was able to watch as the images came through on the computer instead of having to wait like any other parent would. She let out a breath when the head images came up clear and so did the abdomen.

This little girl was lucky, and definitely a fighter, but Charlotte knew the real injuries were emotional, and would take a lot longer to heal than a dislocated shoulder or any of the bruises she had. Even though the images were clean, she decided to move the little girl up to the pediatric floor. She was probably in pain, her shoulder was bruised and swollen, and she was so tiny. Plus, she still needed to be monitored. Her scans were clean, but there was always a possibility that a bleed was too small to be detected on the scans this early.

She told Brittney to bring the girl up to an empty room and that the pediatric nurses would help her get the child situated. She paged Addison to meet her in the room on the pediatric floor. The blonde was dreading this but knew it was best for Zoe to have things checked.

Addison met the blonde outside of Zoe's room and Charlotte let her do an exam. Charlotte held the little girl's hand, and trembled a little. "So?"

Addison looked up and took off her gloves. "There's some bruising and a little bit of scar tissue."

"Oh—oh God."

"The bruising is fresh, but judging from the thickness of this scar tissue, I'd say it's been a while, maybe six months to a year."

Charlotte swallowed. "So it's not recent?"

"No, but that doesn't mean something didn't happen. I'll take some swabs."

"You want to do a rape kit on a four year-old?"

"Not a full rape kit, just swabs." Addison paused. "Just swabs," she repeated.

Charlotte sighed and squeezed Zoe's hand. She looked at the little blonde and blinked back a few tears. "Do it."

"I don't have to."

"Just do it, Montgomery, before I change my mind." _That bastard. _

Addison finished the exam and then left to go home.

Charlotte pushed over a chair and sat down. She brushed her hand against Zoe's and then decided it was time to call Cooper. She dialed her husband's number and waited for him to answer.

When he did, his voice was still full of sleep. "Char?" He mumbled.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?"

He nodded. "Obviously." He paused. "It's ok. Where are you?" He was half asleep when she left, which means he didn't even remember her leaving in the first place.

"I'm at the hospital. I got paged, remember? Anyway, we need ya at the hospital," she explained, not wanting to give him any information about Zoe yet. She didn't want him freaking out on his way there. The last thing she needed was him to get into an accident.

"Okay. Am I meeting you in the ER or on the pediatric floor," he asked. He knew some of his patients might need him to come in during the middle of the night, and he couldn't figure out which one it would be.

"Pediatrics," she said, sighing.

"Char, what is it," he asked, knowing she was hiding something.

"Just get here as fast as you can without breakin' any laws, and I'll tell you," she told him, trying to hide the anger and pain in her voice.

He agreed and sped to the hospital. He raced up to the pediatric floor and found his wife leaning against a door of a room. "Char, what's going on?"

"See for yourself." She sighed, turning to look in at the sleeping child.

Cooper turned around and was shocked by the sight. "Oh. How did she get here?"

"Ambulance. Coop, she's who Pete paged me in here for," she said, sighing again.

Cooper squeezed his wife's shoulders. He knew she was worried and stressed out. "She'll get through this. I'll call the lawyer at a decent hour this morning. We'll get her back, sweetie."

Charlotte leaned back onto his chest and let a few tears leak out. "I hope so, Coop." She paused. "I really want strangle that judge. How could he be so damn blind?"

Cooper sighed. "Char, you know this isn't his fault. He's not psychic."

She nodded. "I know."

"Screw the judge. I want to strangle Tyler." He continued to knead the tight muscles in his wife's shoulders.

She just watched the little girl sleep. She really hoped the child would get to come home with them and that she would be okay.

**A/N: Things are going to get better for Zoe, I promise. Thanks for all the reviews and alerts! And thanks to my cowriter/beta. **


	17. Chapter 17

**ST. AMBROSE HOSPITAL **

**PEDIATRIC FLOOR – ZOE'S ROOM **

**4:30 AM **

Charlotte was exhausted. She was sitting in a chair in the little girl's room, watching her sleep. Cooper went to check on a few of his patients and promised Charlotte he'd be back. There was a slight knock on the door and Charlotte got up to answer it. It was the cop who'd been sitting in Zoe's ER room.

The woman smiled. "I hope I didn't wake you, Dr. King."

Charlotte shook her head. "I wasn't sleepin'." She paused. "Are you the officer who was down in her ER room earlier?"

"Yes, I am. Tracy Jacobs," the woman said, shaking Charlotte's hand.

"What can I do for ya?" Charlotte asked. It was not uncommon for cops to litter her ER. She knew that when ambulances came in, there was usually a cop nearby.

"I'd like to ask you a few questions about what happened tonight," The brunette explained.

"Let's step outside. I don't want her hearin' if she wakes up, and I certainly don't want her wakin' up," Charlotte suggested, glancing at the tiny four year-old.

The police officer nodded and followed Charlotte out into the hallway. "Are you Zoe's mother? I remember her calling you mommy earlier."

Charlotte sighed. There was that question again. She knew now that she'd be getting it a lot when other doctors saw her with a little girl at her feet. "She's actually my husband's best friend's daughter. He died a couple weeks back and we'd gotten custody."

The officer nodded. She was still confused as to why Zoe was beaten so badly if this woman was supposed to be watching her. "Where was Zoe tonight?"

Charlotte sighed again. "With her uncle. The custody case went to court but my husband and I lost because the judge wanted her with family, but here's the kicker: her uncle's a drug addict."

Things made more sense now. Tracy knew this little girl was still grieving because she lost her dad, and was now completely terrified because of what had just happened. "Do you think he had anything to do with what happened?"

"Without a doubt. This has him written all over it. She was so upset and scared to go live with him after being with my husband and me for a few weeks. I'm sure you already have the man's address but his name is Tyler Baker," Charlotte replied, hoping they'd catch the man for beating his niece.

"We have Crime Scene Investigators documenting the scene and collecting evidence. Also, we have uniform officers stationed at the property. Suspects sometimes come back to the scene hours after the crime has been committed." Tracy paused. "This will probably be difficult, but we really need her to make a statement."

Charlotte sighed. "She's four years old. She'd barely talk to me when we had her. This isn't the first time somethin' like this has happened. We were starting to discover signs of neglect. So you'll be lucky if you get her to tell you anythin'."

Tracy felt bad for the young girl that was sleeping in a hospital bed on the other side of the wall. As a police officer, she was taught to keep her distance, taught to keep her emotions out of it, but kids were the worst. Things were not going in Zoe's favor at the moment, and she wanted to change that. "It can wait until she gets out of the hospital. I think her medical records and other evidence at the house will be enough. Her uncle apparently just bailed without even bothering to clean up."

Charlotte let out a breath. Anything that saved Zoe from talking to the cops was a good thing. The young girl just needed some love from her and Cooper and would eventually be back to normal—not fully, but almost normal. "That's good for her, I guess. I really want to keep her from reliving everythin' again," she said. She knew how hard that could be and she didn't want to put a four year-old through it.

Tracy just sighed. "We'll see what happens, but as of right now I don't think she'll have to. I think that's all I have to ask right now. I'll leave you my card incase something else comes up."

Charlotte nodded and the woman walked away. She went back into Zoe's room and the child was stirring in her sleep. Charlotte brushed some matted curls away from her face and fixed her blankets.

Zoe's eyes opened and she whimpered "Mommy?"

Charlotte sat in the chair by the young girl and brushed the hair away again. "Hey, sweet pea, momma's here."

"Wha… where am I?" Zoe asked.

Charlotte sighed. "You're in the hospital, honey, but I promise you're safe with me."

The little girl whimpered again, "I want Buster."

Charlotte gave her a small smile. She hoped the dog was alright, and they could get it from the uncle's house. She was the Chief of Staff so she could probably get the dog in the hospital without being questioned. She thought Cooper could possibly go pick up the dog for her. "Maybe I can try to get Cooper to go get him and bring him here. How does that sound?"

Zoe's blue eyes lit up. She wanted her dog. He always protected her from everything and made her feel safe. She just nodded. She was still so tired. She didn't want to talk much. She yawned and wouldn't take her eyes off of Charlotte.

Charlotte smiled again and brushed the untamed curls away from Zoe's face. She knew the little girl had to be tired. It was nearing five AM and she had a long night. Plus, Charlotte wasn't sure how peacefully she'd slept since she'd been at her uncle's house. She knew that they could give her some medicine to help her sleep but she didn't want to have a four year-old dependent on sleep medicine. She knew the stage would pass and the little girl would be able to sleep through the night by herself.

When Cooper came back in the room, Zoe tensed up and her heart monitor started beeping faster. He sighed and Charlotte squeezed Zoe's hand, reassuring her that Cooper wouldn't hurt her.

"Hey," he quietly said, smiling at his wife.

The blonde doctor smiled back and rubbed Zoe's knuckles with her thumb to try to calm the little girl, "Hey."

"How is she?" Cooper asked, glancing at the monitors and then to the little girl.

"She wants Buster. Do you think there's a way you could get him?" Charlotte asked, glancing at the little girl.

Cooper sighed. He knew she was avoiding the medical details because she didn't want to startle Zoe. "Alright. I'll call the lawyer or one of the police officers and see if they'll let me have the dog."

Zoe was shocked. She didn't actually think Cooper would try to get her dog back, and she thought that maybe he'd be able to find her stuffed dog too. She really missed it and wanted something to hold.

"Okay. Just give me a call. I'll most likely be in here all day," Charlotte told him. She knew he wanted to stay with her and Zoe but she knew that Zoe needed to rest and stay calm to help her body start to heal.

Cooper nodded and walked out of the room.

Zoe whimpered because her bruises were starting to get sore, and she was just scared and tired. She tried to hide a yawn, but it took over and she let out a very big one.

Charlotte just giggled and gave the little girl a smile. "Just close your eyes and sleep, sweet pea, momma's right here."

"Want stuffted puppy," the little girl told her.

The blonde smiled. The little girl was too cute when she struggled to say a word that she wasn't quite sure of and often made up her own words. But Charlotte hadn't seen the toy in question since they had to give her up. She didn't come into the ER with the dog and none of the police officers had it.

"I bet Cooper can find it when he goes to get Buster," she said, smiling. She hoped that her uncle didn't get rid of the toy because Zoe was attached to it almost as much as she was to Buster.

Zoe sighed. "I dunno where it is. He took it and didn't give it back."

Charlotte didn't think her heart could break anymore for this little girl. Her uncle had been so mean to take away something as simple as a stuffed animal. She squeezed the little blonde's hand and smiled. "Cooper will look in all the hiding places for it and try to find it, but if he can't, we'll get you a nice new one."

A tear formed in the little girl's eye and Charlotte just sighed. She wasn't going to pressure the little girl to talk any longer and decided it was time for her to just rest. "Can momma pick you up, kiddo?"

The little girl nodded and Charlotte lifted her from the hospital bed, being careful of the monitors and her injuries. She sat in the chair and held the little girl close. Immediately she noticed the beeping of the monitor slowed to a more steady rhythm and Zoe relaxed in her arms.

"Just close your eyes. It's gonna be okay," she whispered, rubbing Zoe's back.

Within a few minutes the young girl was sleeping in the woman's arm.

Charlotte just sighed, and leaned back in the chair. She really hoped Cooper could get both Buster and the stuffed dog from the house, since both things would help Zoe through the next few weeks, and maybe show Zoe that Cooper really wasn't the monster she believed him to be.

**A/N: thanks so much for all the alerts/favorites and reviews! I hope you guys are enjoying this story, and as always, thanks to my cowriter and if you have any ideas please let me know! **


	18. Chapter 18

**ST. AMBROSE HOSPITAL **

**PEDIATRIC FLOOR – ZOE'S ROOM **

**8:45AM **

Charlotte had held the little girl while she slept and a nurse came in to check on her. Zoe had been sound asleep for the past hour and a half when there was a light knock. Charlotte looked up and smiled, motioning for Cooper to come into the room. She tried to contain her laughter when a golden retriever on a leash followed him in. She hadn't even noticed the ragged stuffed puppy in his hand. "How'd you manage to get him past the nurses' station?"

Cooper laughed. "It was harder than I thought." He paused. "And you have no idea how hard it was for me to find her stuffed animal."

Buster barked suddenly and Charlotte sighed, she knew there was no keeping Zoe asleep.

The four year-old shot up and turned to see where the bark came from. "BUSTER!" She screamed, reaching for her dog.

Cooper brought the dog closer and Zoe started to pet it.

Charlotte smiled as she saw the dog's tail start to wag. She was glad the dog was safe because she was starting to grow attached to the dog as well.

Zoe looked up at Cooper and forced a smile, but she couldn't say anything because she was still scared.

Cooper smiled and showed her the stuffed puppy that he found hidden in a drawer. "I brought something else too," he said, watching her eyes light up.

"You found her!" The little girl replied, reaching for the toy in Cooper's hands.

Cooper smiled back and handed her the stuffed toy. He glanced at Charlotte when Zoe squeezed her dog and leaned back against his wife.

The blonde doctor just smiled at the little girl. "Feelin' better now?" She got a small nod, but she knew the little girl still had to be in some pain and she could tell that she was just exhausted. Charlotte held Zoe close and smiled as Buster curled up at her feet. She sighed, she was the Chief of Staff, but instead of filling out piles of paperwork in her office like she usually did this time of day, she was in a room on the pediatric floor, holding a half asleep four year-old.

Cooper realized Charlotte had been thinking because she was glancing down at the dog and hadn't said much. "You okay, Char?" He asked.

"Yeah, fine. Just a little tired. Nothing I can't handle," Charlotte replied, hiding a yawn.

"You two get some rest. I'm gonna check on some other patients, and then I'll be back." He wanted to kiss her, but felt it best not to.

Charlotte continued to hold Zoe while Buster calmly sat on the floor by her feet. She scratched between the dogs ears and Zoe smiled.

The nurse came in to check on Zoe and smiled when she saw the dog and that Zoe looked a lot more relaxed than she had been. The nurse told Zoe that her breakfast would be coming soon and the four year-old got excited.

Charlotte suggested that the nurse bring her a few movies for the little girl to watch to help her stay occupied.

The woman nodded and smiled and quietly left the room.

Charlotte sighed. She knew Zoe had to be starving because she probably didn't eat much when she was with her uncle. "You hungry, kiddo?" She asked, smiling at the little girl.

Zoe nodded, and squeezed her puppy. "I want pancakes."

"I'm pretty sure that's what they're bringin' ya, but when we bring you home, I'm sure Cooper will make ya some," Charlotte replied, running her fingers through the little girl's hair.

Zoe smiled, and snuggled into her.

Charlotte knew it would be a while before the little girl recovered from her attack, and would need someone to help her through it. She had Charlotte and Cooper, but Charlotte felt like the little girl would benefit from some kind of counseling.

The nurse came back with her food and the movies, and Zoe smiled, and eagerly started to eat. Charlotte was surprised when Buster didn't budge and just nestled closer to her leg.

Cooper decided that it was a decent enough hour to call his lawyer and explain things to him and see what they could do about making sure Zoe didn't get taken away from them again. Cooper was happy to find out that charges were being pressed on Tyler for assaulting Zoe and that he would not be allowed to try for custody again. The lawyer also said that because this was an emergency situation that Charlotte would be allowed to have a chance to adopt Zoe.

Cooper went back into Zoe's hospital room and smiled when he saw the little four year-old curled up in a chair on his wife's lap with her thumb in her mouth.

Charlotte was nearly asleep but perked up when she heard the door open. "Hey, Coop."

"How's she doing?" He asked, walking closer and putting a coloring book and a box of crayons on the table by the bed.

Charlotte smiled. "Okay. She scarfed down her breakfast. She was a little bummed they weren't your pancakes but they were edible."

He just laughed. "Well, when we get her home, she can have all the pancakes she wants."

"Are you sure we'll get custody?" She asked, stroking the little girl's matted blonde hair.

"Yeah. I already talked to the lawyer, and he said you could adopt her because of what happened," Cooper explained.

Charlotte looked down at the sleeping child in her arms, and then to the golden retriever. She never thought she would be in this position, but she was starting to grow attached to the little girl and the dog. She wasn't sure if her and Cooper would be able to ever have kids, but now it was definitely possible with little Zoe. She wanted to do everything she could to protect the child. "I'll call him when I know she's doin' a little better."

Cooper smiled, and kissed Charlotte on the forehead. She didn't exactly say yes, but the words she used meant she was serious about adopting Zoe. He looked at the little girl in his wife's arms and knew they had a lot of work to do to make her the happy four year-old she should be, but it would be worth it. It's what his best friend would want for her. "Alright. Are you gonna stay in here all day with her?" He asked.

"I'm not sure. Havin' Buster in here really helps. She's a lot more relaxed with him around," she explained.

"I can tell. The kid's passed out. Let her get all the rest she can. She probably needs it," Cooper said, adjusting the blanket that had been draped over the four year-old earlier that morning.

"Mmhmm. I'm probably gonna keep her here one more night just for observation," Charlotte said, she wanted to make sure no new bleeds or complications from the attack came up.

"I can bring you guys dinner," he suggested.

"She loves that Mac and Cheese, think you could bring her some?" She asked.

"No problem. Maybe I'll get a toy or two for her that we still have at the house," he said, smiling.

"That's fine. I'll see if she wants to color when she wakes up," Charlotte said, glancing at the monitor to make sure everything was what it should be.

"Do you want me to call her therapist?" He asked, sitting on the bed.

"You probably should. She needs to know about this."

"I'll do that soon. I think she'll be able to really help Zoe now that we won't have to worry about losing her again," Cooper said to her, smiling at the little girl.

"I hope sp. I want to make things work for her," Charlotte said, rubbing the little girl's shoulder when she squirmed.

"We will. I've got a few patients I need to see, but I'll be back." He paused. "And you get some rest too, Char. You've probably been up all night," he said, getting up to leave. He stopped and turned around, noticing Zoe becoming restless.

**A/N: Sorry about the wait guys! I've just been super busy lately. I hope you guys like this, and thanks to my cowriter for editing! The next chapter should be coming soon. **


	19. Chapter 19

**ST. AMBROSE HOSPITAL**

**PEDIATRIC FLOOR – ZOE'S ROOM**

**6:15 PM**

Cooper knocked on the door of Zoe's room and smiled. He walked in and over to the bed.

Charlotte, who was lying in the bed with Zoe, reading her a story, turned towards her husband and tilted her head slightly as he went in to give her a soft kiss on the lips. "You came back," she said, running her fingers through the little girl's blonde hair.

"I brought Mac-n-cheese." He held up the bag and smiled. "I also went to the store and bought some more coloring books, these whacky twistable color pencils and crayons, some sparkly stickers, and I grabbed her baby doll from the loft."

Zoe turned her head slowly, finally registering that there was someone else in the room, a man. She shrinked a little and looked at Charlotte.

Charlotte kissed the back of her head. "Did you hear what Cooper brought for you?"

Zoe sniffed the air. "Is that Mac-n-cheese?"

Charlotte nodded. "It sure is, sweetie. Cooper brought it just for you. Are you hungry?" Just as she finished asking, she heard Zoe's stomach growl. "I'll take that as a yes." She laughed and carefully got up from the bed. She helped the little girl sit up more and pulled the tray closer. "Your tummy's angry 'cause you haven't eaten since lunchtime." She glanced at Cooper and raised an eyebrow. He was looking at her funny. "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Just thinking about what a wonderful mother you would have been to our kid, that's all." He sighed.

"Coop, you know how ridiculous you sound right now?" Charlotte walked towards the door a little and pulled him with her. "Zoe will be our kid." She paused. "So what you're sayin' is that you're not really your parents' kid 'cause you don't share their DNA? They raised you; they made you who you are today."

"You're right." He pressed his lips against hers, giving her another kiss.

"The most important thing is that we'll be a family. How we got there shouldn't matter, Coop. I told you that months ago."

He nodded. "Once again, you're right."

"Am I ever wrong?" She smirked and took the bag from him. She turned back to Zoe and walked over to her. She took the container and a stack of bowls out and set them in front of the little girl. She shifted a little when her own stomach started to growl.

Zoe giggled. "Uh-oh. Your tummy's angry too."

Charlotte nodded.

"I can share. Want some Mac-n-cheese?"

Charlotte smiled. "I'd love some, thank you." She looked at Cooper and then back at Zoe. "I bet Cooper's tummy is angry too."

Zoe looked behind Charlotte and half smiled. "Want some Mac-n-cheese, Cooper?" Her voice was shaky, but she managed to get the words out in one breath.

He smiled and nodded. "Thanks." He closed the gap between him and the bed and looped his arm around Charlotte's waist, squeezing her hip. He pressed a kiss to her temple and let out a breath. "I love Mac-n-cheese. It might even be my favorite."

"Me too," Zoe said, with a smile.

"Fancy that," Charlotte commented, filling three bowls with the cheesy pasta. "There's another container, so if you're still hungry after you finish this bowl, let me know, Zoe."

Zoe shifted on the mattress and took the spoon.

"What do you say to Cooper for bringin' you dinner?"

Zoe looked at Cooper in the midst of swallowing her first bite. "Thanks."

"Swallow first, then talk."

Zoe swallowed fully. "Thanks," she repeated.

"That's better." Charlotte pulled over another chair and sat down beside Cooper, who had sat down about a minute ago. "Cooper got you some more coloring books and crayons too, sweet pea. Oh, and stickers—sparkly ones."

"Can I see?"

"After dinner." Charlotte took the baby doll out of the bag and handed it to the little girl, though. "And look what he found at the loft."

Zoe's eyes widened. "Penny!" She reached her hands out and grabbed the doll out of Charlotte's hands, hugging her closely.

"Don't grab, Zoe."

Zoe set the doll beside her stuffed dog, tucking them both in, and then went back to eating her dinner.

Buster, who was curled in a ball by the little girl's feet, lifted his head and sniffed. He got up and walked over to the tray and tried to lick the pasta.

The little blonde pulled her bowl closer to her and giggled. "No, Buster."

Charlotte stood up and call the dog off the bed. She guided him over to the corner of the room where two bowls were set up, one with water, one with dry dog food. "This is your dinner, Buster. Leave Zoe's alone." She petted the dog, scratching behind his ears for a second before going back over to the chair and sitting down.

"How's your shoulder feeling, Zoe?" Cooper asked, once he finished his Mac-n-cheese.

"It hurts. I can't move my arm."

"Bummer." He stood up and walked around the bed. He reached his hands out, but Zoe jerked away.

"Don't touch me."

"It's ok, kiddo. I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise. Just close your eyes and breathe."

Zoe started to shake and tears fell from her eyes. "Don't."

Cooper backed off. "I just wanna help you feel better. That's all. Please?"

Zoe closed her eyes tight and sucked on her spoon.

"If you want me to stop, just say the word and I'll stop." He smiled, even though her eyes were closed, and adjusted Zoe's sling carefully. He repositioned the ice and stepped back. "There, I'm done. Feel any better?"

Zoe opened her eyes slowly and looked at him, a faint smile on her face. "Uh-huh."

He smiled back and sat down in his chair again. "So what do you two girls have planned for this evening?"

"Well, we're plannin' on watchin' _Bambi_," Charlotte answered, shifting on the chair.

He pouted his lips. "That movie's sad."

"It was Zoe's choice."

"If the Chief of Staff gives me permission, I can sneak the giant TV in here." He smirked at Charlotte, tweaking one eyebrow upwards.

"I think I can try and convince her to allow that." Charlotte played along, watching Zoe finish her dinner.

"Good 'cause I wouldn't wanna get on her bad side. I heard she's kinda mean and nasty when she's angry."

Charlotte glared at him.

He swallowed. "But I bet she's the nicest woman you've ever met in your life."

"Nice try." Charlotte stood up and cleaned up a little. "You want some more, sweetie?"

Zoe shook her head, pushing the bowl away. She yawned and shimmied down the sheets.

"Looks like someone's tired." Charlotte smiled and pushed the tray away. She pulled the sheets up over the little girl and looked at Cooper. "Would you mind gettin' the TV? There's a bag of popcorn on my desk and the DVD's on the coffee table. Could you run and get those too?"

He nodded. "Sure can." He pushed himself out of the chair and kissed her on the lips. "I love seeing this side of you."

"Which one? My nice side?"

He rolled his eyes. "No, your mothering side." He smiled. "You're gonna make quite the difference in that little girl's life, Char. You already have. Even if we don't get custody, which I know we will, you've impacted her life." He paused. "You're amazing. I just thought you should know."

Charlotte slapped him across the chest. "Quit it. You're gonna make me cry."

He laughed and kissed her again. "I'll be back soon." He headed out of the room and down the hallway.

Zoe looked at Charlotte. "Where's Cooper going?"

"He's goin' to get us a really big TV to watch the movie on and he's grabbin' us some popcorn too. No movie is complete without popcorn."

"Is he gonna stay and watch?"

Charlotte shook her head. "It's just gonna be us girls."

Zoe sighed.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow and blinked. "Do you," she swallowed, "want him to stay and watch?" She was surprised by Zoe's sigh.

Zoe nodded and smiled.

"Well, when he gets back, why don't you ask him if he wants to watch the movie with us? I bet he'll say yes." Charlotte let out a breath and sat in the chair, relieved, to say the least, that Zoe actually wanted Cooper to stay. She was starting to think the little girl was never going to feel comfortable around him.


	20. Chapter 20

**ST. AMBROSE HOSPITAL **

**THE NEXT MORNING **

**9AM  
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Zoe was pretty calm most of the night while she watched _Bambi_ and _Sleeping_ _Beauty_ with Charlotte and Cooper. She fell asleep around nine and Cooper left to go home.

Charlotte stayed the night in her room. She was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable since it'd been a day since she'd been at the hospital and hadn't slept in her own bed or showered, but it was something she was used to.

Cooper had called the psychiatrist and the woman had agreed to meet with Zoe after they got her home and she had some time to settle down. The nurse came in early with Zoe's breakfast, pancakes again, since the little girl had eaten all of them when she had them the day before. Zoe smiled at the woman who helped her get situated to eat, "Pancakes again?" She asked, surprised.

"Yeah. I was told you really liked them yesterday, so they made them special, just for you," the woman replied, smiling at the young girl and Charlotte.

Zoe just nodded and started eating. Charlotte smiled back, "Thanks. I think I'm gonna let her come home today. She seems to be feeling better."

The nurse smiled, and agreed. Zoe looked a little nervous when Charlotte mentioned her going home. The four year-old wasn't sure if that meant back to her uncle's house or with Charlotte. She wanted to go back with the woman she called her mother. "Wh—where's home?"

Charlotte sighed and smiled at the blonde four year-old. "You get to live with me now. The judge that said you couldn't has changed his mind. He doesn't want you getting hurt anymore. He knows you'll be safe with me and Cooper."

It wasn't official yet, but Cooper was working on it. She would do whatever it took to keep the little girl from going back with her uncle, even if it meant keeping her in the hospital an extra day or two.

Zoe smiled, "Does Buster get to come too?"

This made Charlotte laugh. The little girl really loved her dog, and Charlotte just couldn't say no. "Of course he does. I think he's starting to like me." She wouldn't even dream of splitting up Zoe and Buster, not if she had any hope at all of Zoe recovering from all she'd been through since she was born.

"Really?" Zoe asked, glancing at her dog, who was curled up on the floor sleeping.

"Yeah. He hasn't barked at me, he doesn't growl, and he wags his tail when I pet him," Charlotte explained.

This made sense to the four year-old. It was the same way the dog acted around her, and this was how she knew that Charlotte was a nice person. The little girl just nodded, and leaned back in bed.

Charlotte smiled at her and grabbed the princess coloring book the little girl had when she was in the hospital the first time, and a big box of crayons. "Do you wanna color another picture for me?"

Zoe looked down at her arm and sighed, it was the one she used to hold her crayons. "I can't."

"Sure you can. You've colored for me before," Charlotte said, trying to show the child it was okay.

"My arm—I can't use it," the little girl whimpered.

Charlotte knew it wasn't a matter of her not wanting to color, but instead it was the fact that there was a sling on the arm she would use. _Right. _She just smiled, "I can help you. You can pick out all the colors and I'll make you a picture."

The little girl smiled, and let Charlotte sit up on the bed with her. Charlotte just smiled to herself. This was better than working on the boring piles of paperwork on her desk upstairs, but she knew it would have to get done eventually. She had deadlines that needed to be met.

They colored for about an hour and Charlotte had colored a picture of Cinderella, and Ariel. Zoe had started to fall asleep as Charlotte was finishing up the last picture. She put the crayons and coloring book away and helped Zoe settle down for a nap.

Zoe slept for a few hours and Cooper came in while she was still asleep. Charlotte smiled, "Hey, Coop."

"How is she?" He asked, smiling at the sleeping girl that was now officially his daughter.

"Doin' better. She ate, I helped her color a couple pictures, her hand that's in the sling is her writin' hand, and now she's sleepin again," Charlotte told him, glancing at the little girl.

"That's good."

Charlotte eyed her husband suspiciously. There was something he wasn't saying. "Spit it out, Coop. What's wrong?"

"Why do you always assume it's bad?"

"It's not?"

He smiles at her. "I've got good news. GREAT news, actually." He was on the verge of squealing.

"What is it?" Now she was even more suspicious and more than a little curious.

"I've officially got custody, and all you have to do is sign the papers, and you're her momma," Cooper explained, smiling. God, he loved saying that—momma. It made him feel less guilty that he couldn't give his wife what she wanted—a child of her own.

"Seriously? It was that easy?" Charlotte asked. There was some relief in her voice because she knew Zoe would never have to go somewhere where she was hurt again.

"It took some arguing, but I was able to get full custody. As soon as she IDs her uncle as the man who hurt her, he's getting arrested and going to jail."

Charlotte sighed. This meant her daughter would have to talk to the police, which was something she was hoping to avoid. "Please tell me you're kiddin'. She has to talk to the cops?"

"Unfortunately, but the lawyer did say that since she's only four that one of us will be with her the entire time. I was assuming that would be you," he explained. He didn't want his little girl to have to talk to the police and possibly pick her uncle out of a lineup, but he knew that was the only way for her uncle to pay for this. If he could get away with it, he'd kill the bastard himself. Rotting in a jail cell for the rest of his life just doesn't seem like enough for what he put Zoe through.

"Alright. When do we have to do that?" Charlotte asked, wanting to spare Zoe from the traumatic experience as long as possible.

"The sooner the better. We don't want this man hurting anyone else," Cooper said, sighing. "Or just as bad—we don't want him going after Zoe again. I'm sure he knows she's with us."

She sighed. She hadn't really thought about that. "Let's at least get her home first. I want her to start to get some sense of normalcy soon," she replied.

Cooper smiled. Charlotte had definitely gotten attached to the young girl, and he could tell she wanted to help her. "That's fine. The lawyer said to call him when she was ready."

"Okay. When can I sign the papers?" Charlotte asked. She thought she'd never be a mother. Before Cooper and for the longest time afterwards, she always thought the only way she'd have a child was if she got knocked up by accident. Now, she was one signature away from it happening. As much as she had come around to the idea of having a child and as much as she loved Zoe, she wasn't ready. Their loft was way too small and the little girl they were getting custody of had been through a lot and needed someone who could help her get better. Months ago, if you had told Charlotte that she would be that person, she'd have laughed and rolled her eyes.

"The lawyer said he could come here whenever it's easiest for you. He knows you've been really busy," Cooper replied, glancing past her at Zoe.

"Unless you count sleeping in a chair, coloring Disney princesses, and watching Zoe eat pancakes, I haven't been too busy," Charlotte replied, laughing a little.

"I'll get him to come before she comes home. When is that happening, by the way?"

"As soon as I can get Dr. Taylor in here to check on her and release her. I'd do it, but I want Dr. Taylor to come see her again," Charlotte told her husband. She hoped the little girl would be more cooperative this time when the woman tried to examine her.

"I can call her. I'll tell her to come by when she can," he replied, smiling.

Charlotte smiled. "I'm not sure if I want to leave this room anyways."

Cooper sighed, but smiled. Charlotte's protective side was showing, and he was happy that his wife was willing to care for the little girl like she was her own. "Have you eaten, Char?" He knew Zoe had breakfast, and since it was nearing lunch time he wanted to make sure his wife had had something too.

"No, but if you wanna get me something that would be great," she said, suddenly realizing that she was starving.

"I'll just go grab something for you two from the cafeteria and bring it up here, we can eat together," he suggested, and when he saw the smile on his wife's face he knew it was a good idea.

"I'll let her nurse know you're getting her lunch," Charlotte told him, watching him as he left to go get them something to eat. At least she'd have help. She wasn't doing this alone, she'd never have to. Knowing Cooper would be here for her through everything, was the only reason why this whole thing wasn't as scary as it should be.

**A/N: Hey guys. Sorry about the wait, school has been really busy for the both of us and I finally found time to update this since it's Thanksgiving break. I hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving and that you enjoyed this chapter! **


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